A Girl Named Jim
by Vulcan Wolf
Summary: Reboot x-over with TNG. My contrib to the Fem!Jim niche out there. Jim pisses off the Powers That Be and as punishment he's turned into a girl. More summary inside, please give this a chance. Rated for language and safety, rating may go up later.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, here's my first shot at writing what I call Fem!Jim fanfic. Jim Kirk...as a girl. I've seen it done, and I was inspired by CollaneR's fantastic one-shot "Midnight In The Railroad Yard". So yeah, this one's for you, CollaneR! Here's my contrib to the niche, I hope everyone likes it. It's kinda supernatural, complete with Faerie (_not _Fairy) hierarchies and rules and all such fun as that, but I've had a hell of a lot of fun writing it. Jim pisses off the PTB, the High Courts, the bad guys, and _their_ minions the This (pronounced like thesis without the -is at the end). To punish him for...whatever he's done wrong this time, the This turn Jim into a girl. Jim runs away from home and hitches a ride into town with an unsuspecting out-of-towner with plates from Illinois but an accent from somewhere else. Cue Bones! Woohoo! Some early bonding, and more fun to follow. Here's Chapter One. Enjoy, R&R, but no flames please. Jim and the boys will use them to roast marshmallows at their next camp-out.

* * *

One

Jim Kirk had been in bar-fights and dust-ups before, but it had definitely been a while since somebody put a spell on him. When he woke up the morning after a hellish night, he couldn't remember precisely what had happened, who he'd pissed off, or what he'd _done _to piss them off. Somebody, for whatever reason, had gotten all pissy and done something to Jim. He woke with a start and fell out of bed, which hurt.

"Ow, damn it!" he squinted at his ceiling. First sign of trouble, something was wrong with his voice. It didn't sound right. Well, at least they hadn't turned him into a dog. Someone had done that once, his mom had laughed for a week before getting someone _else _to turn him back. Single worst experience of his life. A week as a dog, at least they'd had the civility to turn him into something decent and Jim had been trapped in the body of a Rottweiler. Now he was trapped in something else. Human, but…_what_? Heaving off the floor, he staggered into the bathroom and there discovered the problem. Jim, if his reflection wasn't fucked up, was…well…_not him_!! Boys, as a rule of manhood, did not scream like girls. Jim screamed like a girl, and with damn good reason. He _was _a girl!

_ Ho-ly…_shit_! What _happened _to me? Who did I piss off this time? _He…_she_ wondered as she sat on the floor of the bathroom after crashing into the wall. Jim, who hated crying, sobbed. She hated crying, it was weak and it got her beat up by Frank. Frank! Oh, _shit_, if he woke up and found her like _this_, Hell would break loose! Without another thought for it, Jim got up and left the bathroom. None of her old clothes would fit anymore, so she borrowed a pair of tennis-shoes from her mom and grabbed a sweatshirt. She grabbed her wallet and raided her secret stash of credits hidden in a jar under a loose floor-board under her bed. She had to buy new clothes and find a way out of here before somebody got home. But where could she go? Who could she go _to_ for help? Captain Pike? No, he'd never understand. He'd think she was absolutely crazy. Jim found a backpack and threw a few tee-shirts, some boxers, and another sweatshirt inside, along with an old teddy-bear and her old-fashioned mp3 music-player. Her wallet went into the front pocket. Jim could have wished to say goodbye to her mom, but with Winona off-world, _again_, and Sam who knows where, there wasn't much to leave behind. So, taking an aluminum water-bottle full of water and leaving her house-key under the vase on the side-table in the front hallway, Jim left behind everything. Walking to the end of her driveway, she turned onto the dirt road and headed for the highway, going west. Maybe she'd hitchhike to San Francisco? Or Denver. Anywhere to get out of Iowa. They lived fourteen miles east of town, Jim must have walked six before anyone stopped to pick her up. A hover-car passed her and pulled off the side of the highway. Jim, daring to hope, ran up to the drivers-side window.

"You goin' somewhere, kid?" the driver leaned out.

"Yeah, I've gotta get to town. Where are you going?"

"Riverside. Get in, I'll drop you off someplace." The driver looked like the very kind of person her mom had always warned her away from, and the car smelled faintly of alcohol and tobacco, but Jim had seen and experienced much worse.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Get in."

"Thanks, man." She smiled and ran around to the other side of the car, sliding into the passenger's seat and buckling her harness.

"You look like you just rolled out of bed, kid."

"I did."

"Running from something?"

"My step-dad."

"Ah." He didn't ask anymore questions. It was quiet, except for the radio which was on low. Jim didn't turn up the radio or change the station, she just took a minute to revel in her newfound freedom. And study her ride. He was probably late twenties, she wouldn't mark him thirty yet, hadn't shaved in a few days, and she realized that the smell of tobacco and alcohol was from him, not the car. The carsmelled too clean, so it was probably a rental. It occurred to her that it had i.d. plates from Illinois, but _he _had a distinctly southern twang. And something else, something more exotic.

"So, uh, where are you from?" she ventured.

"Hmm?"

"Your accent. You're not from around here and we don't get many outsiders."

"Charleston."

"South Carolina? Nice part of the country. Why'd you leave?"

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"

"Sorry." Jim blushed. When people got sharp like that, she'd asked the wrong question. She was really good at that, too. It was quiet, tense, and she refrained from humming along with the radio to fill the silence.

"Aw, hell." The driver cursed, "Sorry, kid."

"No hard feelings, mine weren't hurt. So…why'd you leave? If you don't mind my asking?"

"Nah. Can't go around taking my anger out on other people and holding grudges against strangers. The wife got a divorce and took everything in the settlement."

"Everything, everything?"

"Everything."

"Holy fuck! What'd you do?"

"Nothing."

"I thought _my _life sucked!" she hunkered down in the seat, "So…you've got nothin' left?"

"Nothing worth missin', anyway. What's your name, kid?"

"J.T. Don't ask what it stands for."

"Wasn't going to." She swore he smirked.

"Well, I gave it up, now it's your turn."

"For what?"

"I told you my name, you get to tell me yours."

"The name's McCoy. Leonard McCoy."

"Nice to meet you. Thanks for the ride, by the way." She smiled and shook hands with him.

"No problem." McCoy shrugged. When they got to town, he dropped her off outside a second-hand clothing store where Jim had shopped for years.

"Hey, Doctor McCoy?" she leaned through the window before he could pull away.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Thanks. Really. That was fourteen miles I didn't really want to walk."

"No problem."

"Oh, and if you're really looking for a way out, you might want to stop by Shipyard 2-1A. Ask for Captain Pike."

"Who?"

"He's the Starfleet recruiting officer, he could help." She smiled, "Good luck, old man."

"Which way to the shipyard? I hate flying, but…yeah."

"Head west out of town and go about ten miles. Just ask for Captain Christopher Pike." She pointed out the right direction, "If he asks for a reference, tell him Jim sent you over."

"Thanks, kid. Take care of yourself."

"Not a problem. Good luck!" she stepped back and waved as the car headed west again. Jim ducked into the store and gave her backpack to the clerk, according to the sign hanging above the register. Holding onto her wallet, she browsed for new clothes. She counted her credits and smiled. She bought two pairs of jeans, a pair of nice shoes, and several tops. Jim paid and left with her purchases in her backpack. She headed a few blocks west for the local YMCA, where she took a shower and changed. As she got dressed, Jim looked at her reflection, _really _looked at it, and sighed. If she hadn't been a _guy _just a few hours ago, Jim wouldn't have recognized herself at all. Her hair was long, wavy, and blonde. Her skin was tan, with freckles on her cheekbones.

**I have **_**freckles**_**? Ugh.** Jim frowned, but moved on. Her eyes were still the same, startling lightening-flash blue. She finished getting dressed and did something with her hair. Or tried to. One of the girls she was sharing the room with took pity on her.

"Having a little trouble?"

"I've wanted to cut it all off for _months_!" Jim hissed, wondering if she _looked _as frustrated as she felt.

"Sit down, honey." The woman, a large, friendly black woman, guided Jim to a chair and sat her down, "Clarabell, get my scissors." One of the other girls got the requested item and the woman introduced herself as Vivian. Jim gave them the same name she'd given McCoy and told Vivian how short she wanted to go. When she was done, Jim's hair was a good six to seven inches shorter, almost boyishly short but still feminine enough for the girl in her. Jim looked at her new reflection and smiled.

"Aw, thanks, Vivian! It looks awesome!"

"Hon, you'll be turnin' heads no matter _where _you go! You look fantastic."

"You're mean with those scissors." She gave her head a shake and smirked. Yeah, the boys would turn to look. Selfishly, Jim hoped she could catch the eye of one boy in particular and make _his _head turn. Then Vivian dragged her down to the communal dining room for breakfast, declaring that Jim was too skinny to be skipping meals. Jim loved Vivian, she just didn't know why. This big, boisterous black woman would have scared the shit out of Jim as a guy, and her fussing should have annoyed Jim because she just hated it when people fussed about her, but Vivian was nice to her. Jim sighed and found a table after following Vivian through the line, loading up with French Toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash-browns. Breakfast was served. Setting her tray down, Jim went back for a bowl of sliced peaches and a glass of orange juice. She was startled by a muttering outburst behind her. Someone was complaining about the food, whose only crime was coming out of a replicator. Some die-hards liked fresh, not replicated. Jim looked over her shoulder briefly and arched an eyebrow. Reaching over, she picked up a whole peach and tossed it lightly over her shoulder to her neighbor.

"I think that's fresh, it's still cold from the cryo-unit. Looks like it's from Georgia."

"Thanks, kid."

"No problem. The sausage is pretty good, and the toast to die for. Dig in, old man." She winked as she walked away, knowing he stared. At their table, Vivian was beside herself.

"Hoo, girly! Was he _hitting _on you?"

"_I _was hitting on _him_, Vivian. Shameless, considering how much _older _he is." Jim rolled her eyes. Vivian kept an eye on the former physician who had given her a lift into town that morning. He kept staring, watching her from the corner-table he tucked himself into. Seven people were chased away, he obviously wanted to eat alone.

"He shouldn't be eating alone like that, that's just criminal." Vivian declared, "A good-looking fellow like him?"

"I think he _wants _to eat alone, Viv. He's not really a people-person." Jim shrugged, wondering if he'd ever made it out to 2-1A or not.

"That's just a shame." Vivian shook her head sadly, "Just a real, cryin' shame." After a while, he just stopped eating and watched, chin resting on folded hands with the saddest look on his face, like he had nothing left in the world. He really didn't, Jim knew, because his ex-wife had taken everything in the divorce settlement. Just like her, she'd given up her old life for…well, something else.

"J.T., you be a good girl and go get that poor man so he don't eat alone this morning." Vivian declared suddenly, "That's just _wrong_ to be that sad. Go on, go get him." Jim rolled her eyes but obediently got up.

"He's _not _going to sit with us, Vivian."

"Nonsense. Go on!"

"Fine." She steeled herself for a polite rejection and went to the doctor's table.

* * *

When Leonard McCoy had finished up business at the shipyard, he'd turned down Captain Pike's offer of lodging at a local motel where the other recruits were being billeted. He wasn't going to spend a night cooped up with a bunch of crazy, hormonal kids unless he absolutely had no other choice. If he could find somewhere else in Riverside to stay, then he would. Pike had kindly suggested the local YMCA boarding-house as an alternative. He could take a shower and get a hot meal, and a bed for the night. The shuttle left at 0800 hours the next morning, and Pike made it clear he wasn't going to sit around waiting for any stragglers. Leonard had promised to be there, and hitched a ride into town. After getting settled at the boarding-house, which was pretty nice compared to some places he'd been slumming in the last couple of months, Leonard took a hot shower and shaved. He was seriously considering burning the clothes he'd shown up in, he didn't want to wear them again. Pulling out the cleanest pair of jeans he could find in his bag and a slightly less wrinkled gray flannel button-down shirt, Leonard headed for the dining room to get that meal. Most of it was replicated, he _hated _replicated food. It never tasted right. The person in line ahead of him surprised him by tossing something to him one-handed.

"I think that's fresh, it's still cold from the cryo-unit." He caught the object and almost dropped it, "Looks like it's from Georgia."

"Thanks, kid." It was a peach, perfect, round, golden, and cold from the cryo-unit. It smelled like home.

"No problem. The sausage is pretty good, and the toast to die for. Dig in, old man." She winked as she walked away, leaving Leonard to stare. Sparkling blue eyes danced with laughter and mischief, her wave was saucy and familiar. But Leonard didn't _know _anyone here, did he? He didn't know anyone in Riverside, Iowa who was worth remembering. He thought back to the hitchhiker he'd picked up outside of town, some homeless kid running away from a bad situation. J.T. "Don't-ask-what-it-stands-for" Kirk. He'd told Captain Pike just what J.T. had told him to say and gotten a weird look.

"I drove one of them into town this morning. She said to tell you it was Jim sent me." He'd shrugged and hadn't really thought much of it since then. He was off to San Francisco tomorrow morning, how much further could he _get_ without leaving the continental United States or leaving Earth? It was far enough for him. He saw the girl from the serving-line at a table across the dining room, laughing and chatting with a big black woman like the two were old friends. It was J.T., he just hadn't recognized her in clean clothes and with that haircut. How many girls could pull off such a short cut like that? Apparently, the Kirk girl could do it with flair. Boyish yet feminine. It showed off her lightening-flash blue eyes and freckles Leonard hadn't noticed before. She was a pretty girl, but obviously a tomboy. He had wandered off in his thoughts, ping-ponging between recollections of Joanna and reflections of the hell his life had become the last two months and a young hitchhiker looking for a way out of her own personal hell, when he was aware that someone else had approached his table. He'd run off seven people and was fully prepared to run off Number Eight before he realized that it was J.T.

"Can I…help you?" what on Earth did she want with _him_?

"I think you need more help than I do, Doctor McCoy." She shot back, "Come on, old man, there's room at our table and you are _not _eating alone."

"I don't need pity or charity, kid."

"It's not pity and it sure as hell ain't charity. Your ex-wife really fucked you up if you don't even have the civility to eat with other people."

"Was that supposed to _help_?" he snarled.

"Reality hurts, _life _hurts. Believe me, I know. I didn't spend six years trying to find a way out so my step-dad couldn't beat the shit out of me anymore for no good goddamn reason." She leaned over the table, "You _are _going to eat breakfast with me and Vivian, you don't have to talk if you don't want, she does enough talking for the world, but you can't sit here in a corner and feel sorry for yourself."

"Why not? It's a free country, isn't it?"

"You're not the only one who's life got fucked up beyond all recognition and any semblance of normal or happy. Come on." She pulled his tray across the table and he sighed.

"You are one _very _annoying and insistent creature, Kirk. Fine." He shoved back and got to his feet.

"How'd you find out my last name?"

"Pike told me."

"Figures." An eyeroll, a shrug. It was inevitable he would have figured it out sooner or later. "So, you're in?"

"Shuttle leaves at 0800 tomorrow, and I am _not _looking forward to it _at all_."

"It's not going to be _that _bad." J.T. rolled her eyes, but before he could launch into a tirade of everything that could possibly go wrong, she turned to him and cut him off with one hand across his mouth, "Don't lecture me on the dangers of shuttle-flight and space-faring, Doctor McCoy, my father _died _saving eight hundred people the same day I was born. I was one of them. He died…_in _space. My mom kept running away from us kids when we were growing up, she didn't want to see us, she didn't want to see _me_." Leonard wanted to say something, _do _something, but he knew it was best to just ride it out and let her talk, and talk she did.

"I reminded her of Dad, of what she'd lost and couldn't get back. You can beg and plead with your wife to see your little girl again, but I can't say I grew up in a happy, healthy household. My step-dad kicked me around for _years_ until I ran away this morning and a bitter, divorced physician from South Carolina picked me up." J.T. let him go, shaking her head, her eyes bright with something besides their usual happiness and mischief, "Yours is _not _the only life that sucks right now, Doctor McCoy. Some of us have _lived _lives that suck every single day and _will _suck every single day until something changes. Now sit down and eat." She pushed him towards the table and introduced him to the lively, chatty Vivian, who really _did _do most of the talking. Leonard wondered if J.T. realized just how much she had opened up to a complete stranger just now, but he didn't say anything. Her bravado was just a mask, Leonard knew now, and that mask had slipped _just _a little a moment ago. After breakfast, J.T. dragged him out of the boarding-house and took him to the nearby second-hand store to buy new clothes.

"I'm _fine_, J.T., I really don't need anything."

"Oh, _please_. Those jeans came out of the bottom of your bag and that shirt needs ironing." She pushed him through the door, "And it's not charity, so keep your mouth shut."

"Did I say anything?"

"You were going to." She led the way to the back of the store where circular racks of men's clothes took up space. He found three pairs of new jeans, he was perfectly happy with just one but J.T. talked him into buying three pairs, and an armload of shirts. Button-downs, pull-overs, even a mock-turtleneck and sport-coat she put together as a set.

"When am I _ever _going to wear _this_?" he looked at it like it was going to come alive and bite him.

"I don't know, but a man always needs a sport-coat in his closet. Here, try this on." J.T. tossed him a casual jacket, a microsuede parka. It was actually a good fit and surprisingly comfortable. They made their purchases, tossed the bags into his small duffel, which J.T. had insisted he bring with him, and headed back to the boarding house. Despite her rough edges and cocky attitude, Leonard had to admit the girl was growing on him, which was entirely unexpected and irritating. When they got back to the boarding-house, J.T. helped him repack. His old clothes were dumped into the communal laundry for washing and donation, and his new clothes were packed up for San Francisco. Then it was time for lunch, which he took with J.T. As they ate alone, Leonard got up the nerve to ask one question that had been nagging at him.

"What's J.T. stand for, if you don't mind my asking? I know you told me not to ask, but…well." He shrugged. J.T. snorted.

"James. James Tiberius, actually." J.T. stabbed a piece of lettuce on her fork and frowned at it, "I was supposed to be a boy, but it was so crazy when I was born, they never bothered changing my name."

"What kind of name is James for a girl?"

"I don't know. That's why I go by J.T., or Jim sometimes."

"No siblings?"

"Just an older brother I haven't seen in a few years." J.T. looked at him sternly, "I never lied to you, Doctor McCoy."

"Never said you had lied to me." He frowned and folded his hands under his chin, "There's somethin' about you I just don't _get_, kid."

"A lot of people don't _get _me, Doctor McCoy, join the club." She glared at her plate, "I've been picked on and kicked around all my life, and not just by my step-dad."

"Who sounds like a real sonuvabitch, by the way."

"Yeah, he is." J.T. looked at him, "Are you superstitious?"

"Why?"

"You may not want to be my friend."

"I'll be the judge of _that_, missy." He waved his fork at her, "You can't possibly tell me anything weird."

"I could tell you about Faeries and spells and magic. You'd never believe me."

"Excuse me?"

"See?"

"Did you just say…fairies?"

"Ugh! No, it's Faerie. Not fairy, Faerie." She must have gotten that a lot, it was automatic.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess we're not talking about cute little people with wings and fairy-dust and wands." Leonard didn't want to smile, but it was real hard. He liked this girl, he really liked this pushy, mouthy, odd girl he'd picked up off the side of the highway.

"Nope. Thank Walt Disney for that." J.T. rolled her eyes, "I _can't _fly, and I sure don't own a wand, though I know people who _do_. The wand part, he had that right. But only the High Faeries carry wands." For some reason, that did _not _freak Leonard out…at all. Probably because he had a few secrets of his own.

"So, you're one of the Fair Folk."

"One of the _cakoya_, if that's anybody's business but mine."

"Lucky for you. Or not." He shrugged, "You familiar with the Silogh Court?"

"The High Court of the United Kingdom." She nodded, "Not a lot of outsiders know it exists."

"I'm not an Outsider, J.T. I'm not a…_taresim_."

"I didn't think so, I could hear the accent in your voice." She smiled, "I should have guessed you were a Silogh Faerie."

"What about you, Lady James?" He smirked, prodding her for having a boy's name. She rolled her eyes and kicked him under the table.

"My family is Nerohi Fae."

"Which would make you nothing short of Fae royalty."

"Wouldn't know that looking at me, would you? I'm not exactly the favorite of the High Courts. Couple months ago, somebody thought it might be fun to turn the Nerohi Heir into a dog. Just for the hell of it and nothing better to do with their time."

"A _dog_?"

"A Rottweiler, actually. My mom thought it was the funniest damned thing. Didn't stop laughing for a goddamn _month_." J.T. did _not _think this was very funny at all, so Leonard bit his tongue. The High Courts were kind of sticks about things, he couldn't begin to imagine what possible thing J.T. had done to piss them off enough they'd turn her into a dog. Or had someone else done it? Had the This done it? That would make sense, too. The Silogh and Nerohi Courts were two of the Three Ruling Houses of Loracre, which meant both Leonard _and _J.T. had the right to carry wands and practice High Magic. But, for reasons of their own, they did not. And that was fine, just as long as they didn't start trailing fairy-dust everywhere, things would be just fine.


	2. Vulcan Wolf’s Guide to A Girl Named Jim

Vulcan Wolf's Guide to A Girl Named Jim

This is a short, comprehensive guide to my story. If you have any questions, PM me and I'll try to explain further. It can be very confusing, but in my head, it all makes perfect sense. Hope this helps!

* * *

Terms to Remember

This = Agents of the Yi'kekehu

Taresim = Outsiders = Mortals

Cakoya = Purebloods = Fae

Mesicha = Halfbloods = Mortal/Fae hybrids

Nalorhi = Guardians

Yi'kekehu = Dark Fae

Three Ruling Houses of Loreacre

Nerohi = High Court of North America

Silogh = High Court of United Kingdom

Sanhaar = One of the Outlying Courts, the Vulcan High Court

The Heirs

Jim Kirk: Heir of Nerohi

Leonard McCoy: Heir of Silogh

Spock: Heir of Sanhaar

Other Fae

Captain Pike: Cakoya of an unknown House, one of the Nalorhi

Winona Kirk: Cakoya of Nerohi

Nyota Uhura: Mesicha Fae of unknown House, possibly Nerohi.

Joanna McCoy: Mesicha Fae of Silogh, daughter of Leonard McCoy

Ambassador Sarek: Cakoya of Sanhaar, father of Spock

Amanda Grayson: Cakoya of Nerohi, wife of Ambassador Sarek, mother of Spock

Frank Lawless: Stepfather of Jim Kirk, Yi'kekehu.


	3. Chapter 2

Two

Jim knew precisely when Leonard departed the boarding-house for the shipyard the next morning and snuck out of bed. She found a ride out to 2-1A and surprised Captain Pike. He didn't recognize her, of course, and she sweet-talked her way onto the shuttle. Her paperwork would be finished up in San Francisco, there wasn't time now. As she was fighting with her harness, she heard a commotion towards the back and twisted around to see the flight-officer ushering out a testy, inebriated civilian. It was Doctor McCoy.

"I don't _need _a doctor, damn it, I _am _a doctor!" he snapped irritably.

"You need to take your seat, sir."

"I _had _one! In the bathroom with no _windows_!"

"You need to sit down for your own safety, sir." The flight-officer was getting testy. Forgetting the harness, Jim got to her feet and quietly got between the flight-officer and the physician.

"It's okay, I've got him." She smiled winningly at the flight-officer who was about to pop McCoy a good one, "He's with me. Come on, old man."

"Ngh, leggo."

"Shut up and sit down. We can't leave until you do." She snapped, shoving him towards the empty seat next to hers. McCoy glared over her shoulder at the flight-officer.

"Fine." He snapped, plunking himself down. Jim sighed and took her seat, kicking McCoy's bag under the seat with her own as she figured out the harness.

"Thank me later."

"Where'd _you _come from?"

"Following example, Doctor McCoy. I've got as much reason to want out of Riverside as you wanted out of Charleston, and this is my ticket out of this hellhole. It'll take weeks before my step-dad realizes I'm gone, and longer before Mom realizes I skipped town."

"Not exactly the mothering type?" McCoy asked with a tilt of an eyebrow as he passed her a flask.

"Not exactly the mothering type at all." Jim took the offered flask and decided that she would get along _just _fine with McCoy, who really did have a potent fear of flight. The air-frame shuddered and the deck under their feet jolted as they gained altitude and one hand closed over Jim's wrist with enough force to leave a mark. She looked over to find his eyes squeezed shut and his face a decidedly sickly pale green.

"Bones?"

"Don't…_talk_!" he ground out, "Please!" Jim felt very sorry for him, and twisted her hand in his death-grip until she had loosened his fingers enough to turn her hand over and take _his_ hand.

"It'll be okay, Bones, you'll see. Just hang in there, old man, stay with me." She squeezed his hand comfortingly. As they leveled out at cruising altitude, Jim had an idea and reached for her backpack, digging through it for her music player. She found an easy-listening play-list and listened to the first song before she tapped McCoy on the shoulder. His eyes popped open and he turned to her with a panicked expression. Jim was no doctor, but she knew the man's heart was racing. His pulse beat against her fingertips like the heartbeat of a frightened bird and she could see a faint sheen of sweat on his face. A cold sweat. Jim held out the headphones in offering.

"What's this?"

"Music. It'll give you something else to focus on." She watched him tuck the earbuds in and smiled as it had an almost instantaneous effect.

* * *

When J.T. gave him her music-player to distract him from his phobia taking a strangle-hold, Leonard knew the girl was worth her weight in gold. He ended up sleeping for most of the two-hour flight, a feat impossible in and unto itself, and was roused to wakefulness by J.T. shaking him.

"Up and at 'em, old man. We made it to San Francisco in one piece." She was grinning at him, smirking really, and pushed, nudged, and cajoled him off the shuttle. He turned to return the player, but she was already gone. Probably to fill out paperwork, she'd talked her way onto the shuttle back in Riverside. Oh well, Leonard would just hang onto it until he had a chance to give it back to her in person. That probably wouldn't take long, the kid had a weird habit of following him places and popping up unexpectedly with that goddamn winning smile of hers and some smart turn of phrase or another. If he had to think of a word for the next four years of his life, and beyond it, interesting didn't begin to cover it. Nope, not at all. His life had been upended by that damn divorce, and then he'd found Jim Kirk. His head was still spinning, and it wasn't just the hang-over.

* * *

It had taken Christopher Pike all of two minutes to put the blonde-haired, blue-eyed civilian who showed up in the shipyard three minutes before lift-off with the absent Jim Kirk. She didn't give him a name, but Doctor McCoy sure had, the night before. Said it was a Kirk who sent him down, described a girl of the same appearance as the one asking for a walk-on, said it was Jim. Jim Kirk was forever getting himself into trouble, and Pike had to wonder which of the rivals he'd ticked off _this _time. Well, he figured, at least they'd had the decency to let him alone in Human form. Last time Jim pissed somebody off, he'd spent a week as a Rottweiler and Winona hadn't stopped laughing for a month. Well, there _were_ worse things than to be doomed to…well, however long as a woman. And he had to admit, Jim made a pretty girl. Not that he'd ever _tell _anyone, of course. The kid had an ego in desperate need of deflating. They got the paperwork out of the way and Christopher looked at the cocky girl sitting on the other side of his desk in his office on campus.

"What are we going to _call _you?"

"Jim, or J.T. will do fine, Captain. I already told Doctor McCoy that I was supposed to have been born a boy and they just didn't bother changing my name after I was born. He doesn't know any better."

"Or Jamie."

"Please don't." And Pike knew he had a name for those moments when Jim misbehaved herself. Ah glory. And what a blissful _non_-headache this had turned out to be.

"Want me to tell your mom one of the This got sick of the Heir again and decided to teach you a lesson?"

"Yeah, but don't let Frank find out or I'll have hell to handle."

"Don't worry, Jim, he won't learn about your latest mishap from me, and I'll make sure the Nalorhi keep the This from blabbing." Christopher got up and stuck out one hand, "You just keep your record clean and we'll call it even."

"You're a saint, Captain."

"Putting up with you like I do, yeah, I should be canonized." Pike rolled his eyes and saw her to the door of his office, "Good luck, Jim. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks, Captain. I'll try to behave myself." Jim just smirked, waved, and was off. Pike went back to his desk and shuffled paperwork, wondering how long it would take for this to blow up in their faces. The door of his office opened and he looked up. And smiled.

"You look displeased."

"Do the This have _no _restraint when it comes to the Heirs? Or do they truly take such pleasure in tormenting us?"

"I take it you passed Jim Kirk in the hallway." Pike smirked, "I don't know which, I _do _know that she has a nasty habit of getting their attention. Last time they disciplined Jim, they turned her into a dog."

"Yes, I remember." Spock actually rolled his eyes. Pike snickered, and waved the Vulcan to an empty seat.

"Take a seat, Spock. What news from the Courts?"

"The Silogh, Sanhaar, and the Nerohi Courts have issued edicts to their Heirs."

"Edicts? Oh for…what is it this time?"

"The Ruling Houses have declared that their Heirs must marry or lose their gifts."

"A little harsh, don't you think? Considering the Heir of Clan Silogh has already married once, to a _Human_ no less, and divorced, that's asking a bit much. And the chances of Jim ever marrying are…well, you know them as well as anyone else."

"I named _three _Courts, Captain." Spock looked decidedly ill at ease and Pike groaned. When had the Sanhaar Court gotten a stick up it's collective ass and decided it wasn't bad enough Spock's life was _ruled _by the High Command, it also had to be ruled by _them_ as well? Damn!

"You have _got _to be joking! Did it never occur to them that the stigma of marriage comes in spades where you're concerned?"

"The High Command and the Healer's Council conveniently forgot to inform them that I had severed my marriage-bond with T'Pring last season."

"They still think you're getting married to T'Pring?" Pike snarled, "What nasty shock _that _will be for them. Did they give you a deadline?"

"Four years."

"Four…Spock, we're not miracle workers!"

"I know, Captain. I ask only for your support, not for miracles."

"I'll be here if you need me, Spock. You, Jim, and Doctor McCoy all." He rubbed his forehead, cursing the Courts for bullheadedness. For Jim, it actually made sense. She was coming of age in a few years' time, so she _had _to marry. Spock left after a while, his news delivered and Pike sighed, nursing a headache. Wonderful. Well, he might as well get hold of Winona Kirk and let her know what the This had done to Jim _this _time.

* * *

Well, there you go, Chapter Two. Enjoy! R&R! More on request, I've got lots of it and more in progress!


	4. Chapter 3

Three

It took Jim a while to get used to life as a girl, her least favorite part of the entire affair was her monthly cycle, which came with bullish regularity and ran a week. The mood-swings and cramps were hell, and her roommate was of absolutely _no _help at all, and she suffered through the first period by herself, taking care of things on her own and never letting on when she was around Doctor McCoy that she was in pain. He'd be all over her if she said a peep. After it was all over, she looked into getting a fertility inhibitor and possibly some form of regulatory contraception. But if there was one thing Jim absolutely hated to do, it was ask for help, so she kept putting it off and putting it off until round two hit. Round two came at the same time Jim was braving it through a nasty cold. She finally gave up and paid the good doctor a visit one day while she had time between classes and she _knew _he'd be in the hospital. When the nurse on duty asked if she had a specific member of the staff she wanted to see, she asked for Doctor McCoy. He was a medical student, but they gave students this kind of stuff anyway, so she filled out some paperwork and followed the nurse to an exam room where she was given a flimsy cotton gown. She hated hospital gowns, always had, and this was no exception. Then the nurse dropped the bomb. According to the available medical records they had for her, she had never had an exam. Duh, until two months ago she'd been a man and that wasn't necessary. Jim officially hated womanhood.

"The doctor who will be seeing you today will also perform the examination." The nurse missed the look of utter mortification on Jim's face. Was it possible to die of humiliation? She wanted to, oh boy did she want to, specifically she wanted to crawl into a corner, curl up, and just die. The nurse made a note on her chart and left with a sickly, motherly smile.

"Don't you worry a _thing_, sweetheart!" the woman said cheerfully, patting Jim on the cheek as she left. Jim fell over sideways and hugged her knees, trying to breathe, trying to convince herself this wasn't the end of a cherished friendship. Not that she'd ever _told _him that, of course, but Bones meant the world to her. Jim waited precisely fifteen minutes before the door opened and Bones skated through. He _actually _skated through the door he was in such a hurry. If she hadn't been so miserable, Jim would have laughed.

Leonard McCoy had been enjoying a remarkably _quiet _afternoon when one of the charge-nurses handed him a new chart. He took it with a healthy dose of caution.

"What's this?"

"Your next patient, Doctor McCoy." He hated how that sounded so insincere. He _was _a doctor, damn it, and he wasn't going to be pushed around by some high-and-mighty charge-nurse just because he _happened _to be a student! He shot her one of _those _looks and turned to get a look at the chart she had dumped on him. Leonard got no further than the name before his head shot up. What in the name of The Triple Crown and all that was holy was Jim Kirk doing in the hospital?

"Did I _miss _something?"

"Everything is recorded in the history, Doctor McCoy." The nurse smirked, and Leonard felt something in his gut sink to his feet, "It's your lucky day." Leonard looked further beyond his best friend's name and almost dropped the padd. An _exam_? Seriously? He couldn't _do _that to Jim! He couldn't! Well, maybe he could. He cared enough about her and he wasn't about to let anyone _else _paw at her. Gritting his teeth, Leonard brushed an invisible speck of dust off the lapel of his lab-coat and excused himself to the duty-nurse, who sweetly informed him that Jim was locked up in Exam Room 6. He rolled his eyes.

"I _know _that, you red-headed tyrant. It's on her chart." Hating pompous duty-nurses and worried sick something was _really _wrong with Jim, Leonard started to run. He literally skidded through the door of Exam Room 6, where he found Jim curled up on the exam-bed, looking for all the world like she was expecting the death-sentence.

"Jim!" he rushed across the room and took her outstretched hand, "My god, you look terrible!"

"I _feel _terrible." Jim croaked, and he knew she was really sick.

"Sit up, sweetheart. It's alright, I can fix this." He coaxed her to sit up and quietly ran a scan to see what, precisely, was wrong with her. She listed off all of her symptoms, _all _of them, and Leonard understood perfectly why she felt so much like she'd been run over by a steamroller. She also did him the favor of rattling off a list of drug-allergies longer than his arm. He put them in order and rummaged around for something that wouldn't trigger anaphylactic shock. Finding it, he gave her a single dose of the mildest, safest antibiotic at his disposal. Then it was time for the hard part. Jim's pulse thundered against his fingertips and Leonard remembered why he'd _always _hated this particular branch of medicine, why he'd never made it his practice.

"Is it stupid to be afraid?"

"No, sweetheart. I don't like it anymore than you do, but I'm not about to let some careless stranger get his hands on you." Leonard hugged her, a completely random, spur-of-the-moment thing, "I can take care of you, darlin'. Just bear with me."

"Okay. Okay." Jim was trying to convince herself that it _would _be okay. After all, she _was _in the hands of the one person who cared most about her. Thankfully, for _both _of them, it went quickly. Or at least as quickly as he could make it go while still being careful and thorough. Inspiration hit hard and after she was back in uniform, and god did she make it look good, Leonard took fifteen minutes and walked her across campus to her next class. They chatted about absolutely nothing at all, but he knew she was tired and ordered her go straight home and rest after her last class was out for the day. She promised to do her game best, but she wasn't really all that good at following doctor's orders.

"That wasn't an order, sweetheart. That was a suggestion. Go home, eat something, and get some rest."

"Okay. Thanks, Bones." She just smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek, "You're a good person, no matter what your ex-wife says about you." She was always reminding him that he _wasn't _a bad person, he wasn't a failure. It was nice, actually. She cared enough to tell him that.

* * *

After her last classes were out for the day, Jim did exactly what Bones had said and went home. But getting anything remotely _like _rest or something to eat was not happening. Her roommate was home, and she'd brought a boyfriend home with her. Jim rolled her eyes and just left again.

"Lock the door next time, Bethany!" she called into the bedroom. The library would be quiet, she could study there. Crossing campus, Jim made her way to the Medical Library, where she found Bones hunched over books that must have weighed five pounds apiece. Taking him by surprise was never easy and never to be recommended, but Jim wanted to touch. She snuck up behind him and quietly hugged him from behind.

"You know, if you keep sitting like that you'll never stand up straight?"

"What are you, my mother?"

"No, I'm your very concerned friend of interest." She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, "What are you reading?"

"Doctor Phlox's articles on alien anatomy."

"Who?"

"The CMO of the Enterprise NX-01."

"Oh. Archer's CMO. Very cool."

"Didn't I tell you to go home and rest?"

"Yeah, not happening. Bethany brought her boyfriend home and forgot to lock the door."

"Again?"

"You think she'd learn, but _noo_." Jim rolled her eyes. She had something of a reputation on campus as a flirt and a chaser, but she'd never _ever _slept with anyone. She'd dance with them, she'd kiss and make out with them, but she _never _slept with them. Clothes stayed on, touching was allowed, but there were no-go zones and rules. Jim leaned her head on Bones' shoulder, reading the articles. Usually she couldn't get away with this, but tonight she could.

"Are you alright?"

"The antibiotics helped, it's the first time somebody nailed me and I didn't close up right after. I'm a little sore, but that's normal." She smiled and turned the page for him. When they got to the end of the current article, two pages later, Bones closed the book and picked it up. She helped him put the other books away and they left the library. She thought of something and looked at Bones, "Hey, are you hungry?"

"Starving. I was thinking of grabbing something at the mess-halls and calling it an early night."

"The _mess_-halls? Yuck! No, _we're_ going out tonight." She led him off-campus to a Chinese mom-and-pop joint where she went for soup when she was feeling under the weather.

"What's this place?"

"Cheng's Diner, they've got some of the _best _Hot and Spicy Soup outside of Chinatown. Their eggrolls are pretty good, too. Oh, and their fried rice? Heaven."

"I take it you come here often."

"Enough to appreciate the service and the food." She pushed him through the door. Madam Cheng greeted them, smiling knowingly as she asked if they would be dining in or taking out tonight.

"I think we'll take it home tonight." Bones mused, peering at a menu. Jim snickered.

"I thought I wasn't allowed inside your room."

"Not without knocking first."

"Oh, come on. You know you like it, it keeps you on your toes." She poked him in the ribs. He just rolled his eyes and they placed an order for two of Jim's usual, to go. Madam Cheng wouldn't stop chuckling as she took the order slip and went back to the kitchen.

Every few months, room-codes were changed for who knew what reasons, and despite every attempt to keep Jim from finding out the new codes, two days later, she would be making herself right at home in Leonard's double-occupancy dorm-room and driving his roommate crazy. She only knocked if it was bad, as they had learned late one night during first semester when she had pounded on the door at midnight, begging Bones to open up. She'd gotten into a fight, over what or with whom he didn't know. He'd just patched her up and let her sleep on the couch. After their orders came, Jim tipped Madam Cheng and promised to come back sooner than later. Then it was off to campus to hunker down in Leonard's blissfully empty dorm-room. Thomas was out of town on family business, so he wouldn't be giving her dirty looks.

* * *

An hour later, empty take-out containers littering the coffee-table, Leonard looked up from writing a report, just one of many, and had to smile. At the moment, Jim was sprawled on his couch in sweats and a tank-top, flipping the pages of one of his text-books. She wasn't a medical student, but she devoured everything she could get her hands on and he suspected _do _half of it if she had to. He would never admit it to anyone, but he actually enjoyed spending time with his irascible best friend, and who honestly gave a damn if the Academy gossips said they were an item? He thought of something and looked at her.

"Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you heard from the Grand Marshalls again?"

"Not since Commander Spock gave me that stupid edict. Why?"

"Just curious."

"Why? Have _you _heard from them?" She lowered the book and fixed him with a familiar look. He just nodded. Oh he'd heard from the Silogh Grand Marshall, alright. With orders to get married as soon as possible. Within what time-frame, precisely? Four years. And why were _they _in such a bloody hurry? He'd gotten _divorced_ six months ago, like hell was he going to rush headlong into another mistake like that one. The Grand Marshall had reminded him, pompously, that the Heir of Clan Silogh was _expected _to marry a suitable mate of choosing. His choosing or theirs? It didn't matter, but if he did not find a suitable mate within four years, it _would _be of their choosing. Jim rolled her eyes and went back to reading.

"Don't tell me they're on your back about getting married again?"

"I was reminded by the Grand Marshall that I was expected to marry."

"Considering you were divorced from your _taresim_ wife six months ago, I think they need to back off."

"Good to know we're on the same page." He shrugged and went back to writing his report.


	5. Chapter 4

Four

After that one hospital-visit, Jim and Bones started spending a lot of time together, which raised a lot of questions and got some attention. Commander Spock and Captain Pike had no comment on the matter, what the Heirs did was their own business. And Doctor McCoy would marry when he was good and ready, the Grand Marshalls had nothing to worry about. He just needed some time to recover from having his heart broken by a _taresim_. Leonard was there for Jim when she failed the Kobayashi Maru the first time, Jim was there for Leonard when his ex-wife tried to take his daughter away from him for good. That didn't go so well in her favor when Jim got the High Courts involved. Joanna McCoy was exactly one-half Silogh Fae, and the _mesicha_ were coveted by the _cakoya_ no matter where they came from. In the end, which took a year, Leonard H. McCoy was named the sole guardian and caretaker of his daughter Joanna C. McCoy. One of the happiest days of his life.

* * *

In third year, things got a little messy when Jim came to be at odds with Commander Spock, whom she considered a friend and confidant. After failing the Kobayashi Maru twice, she had gone back for a third try and successfully beaten the test by using a programming loophole no one else had noticed or utilized. Spock didn't like that at all and brought her up before the Academy Board for academic dishonesty, fancy vernacular for cheating, which got her slapped with Academic Suspension right in the middle of a crisis. But Bones pulled through for her once again and smuggled her onto the shuttle bound for the Enterprise. She was under the influence of a bad drug-reaction, and couldn't decide which one of them she hated more, Spock for knowingly stranding her stateside when they needed every Cadet they could get their hands on, or Bones for making her so sick she couldn't see straight. They finally reached the Enterprise, but that was just the beginning of her troubles, not the end of them.

* * *

Smuggling her into Sickbay, Bones knocked Jim out for a good hour and a half, and when she bolted from Sickbay going on about Romulans, lightening storms in space, and traps, it got worse. Rounding up Nyota Uhura was easy, getting Jim to slow down, not so easy. Finally, Bones resorted to using force.

"God help me and Jim forgive me." He whispered a split-second before he used a spell to stop Jim in her tracks. Where a fleeing Cadet had been, there was now a small, sable Italian Grayhound.

"What did you _do_?"

"I tried to stop her! Not good." Bones caught his breath, "Jim is gonna _hate _me for this."

"Has this happened before?"

"She was a _lot _bigger last time." He watched Jim stagger to her feet, get her bearings, shake off, and glare at him before taking off down the hallway, "Last time, they turned her into a Rottweiler." Then it was off in pursuit of the swift-footed Italian Greyhound. She headed straight for the bridge, but Bones's only consolation was knowing she couldn't _talk_…yet. Jim was Nerohi Fae, talking in dog-form probably wouldn't be a problem.

* * *

Christopher Pike was listening to the chatter around him as his crew went about their business, and wondering what madness has seized Spock that Jim Kirk was grounded. He'd had a closed-door chat with his First Officer and Spock had realized well before now that bringing Jim up for cheating on that test had been a bad idea. The girl didn't trust easily, and she had considered Spock a friend of hers. This would hurt their relationship big time, and the middle of an intergalactic crisis was a _really _bad time for the Heirs to be holding grudges against each other. Suddenly, the doors of the bridge swept open and Christopher Pike turned in his chair.

**"Captain Pike! Captain, we have to stop the ship! We have to stop **_**now**_**!"** That was Jim's voice, in his head, but…where was Jim?

"Jim, stop! Slow down!"

**"Captain! Stop this ship! It's a trap!"** The source of Jim's voice was white with gray spots, weighed about ten or fifteen pounds, and was all over him, jumping like mad. Jim, if he wasn't mistaken, had not only been brought aboard the Enterprise recently, and without permission, but she'd been turned into an Italian Greyhound. Christopher looked from the frantic canine to the two winded officers who'd charged onto the bridge behind her.

"Doctor McCoy, what the _hell _is going on here?"

"I don't know, sir. She wasn't making a whole lot of sense before."

"Well, hmm, she's not making _any _sense now." He huffed as Jim, frustrated, body-slammed him with all fours, before landing on the deck at his feet.

**"It's a **_**trap**_**, Uncle Chris! You've gotta believe me! The Romulans are waiting for us!"**

"What's going on?"

"According to Cadet Kirk, we have to break warp now or fly straight into a trap laid by Romulans, sir. She says the Narada is waiting."

**"Only the same ship that hasn't been seen or heard from in twenty-five years! The ship that was last reported seen on the day of my birth! Before the Kelvin was destroyed!"** Jim barked, **"You think I don't **_**remember **_**that? I grew up with that stigma, I think I know a big problem when I see one!"** She was right, though. Pike turned to the officers.

"Romulans?"

"I intercepted a message at 2300 hours from Klingon space, sir. Forty-seven warbirds and Rura Penthe had been destroyed." The officer in Engineering red admitted, "It was all in one ship, they said, Romulans in one massive ship."

"Romulans."

"Yes, sir."

"What's your name, Cadet?"

"Uhura, sir."

"You're the linguist."

"Yes, sir." Specifically, the linguist dating Spock. Oh they would be having a nice little chat later about priorities. He ordered scans for any transmissions in Vulcan or Romulan, the communications officer couldn't tell the difference and he replaced the man with Uhura. They couldn't hail any of the other ships in the fleet, and Christopher knew he had a problem on his hands. Returning to his chair, he ordered red alert and had the helmsman pull them out of warp…straight into a debris field.

**"I **_**told **_**you! I told you, I told you! You thought I was being stubborn!"** Jim yapped.

"Not _now_, Jim." He snapped as they maneuvered through the field. Suddenly, Jim yelped and vanished behind Doctor McCoy's legs, tail tucked tight between her legs and ears flat against her skull. No wonder, either, the ship that filled the viewscreens was _huge_. They were hailed, and he was ordered by the Romulan leader Nero to come aboard the ship alone. He rounded up an Away Team to space-dive onto the drilling-platform, disable it, and tell Starfleet what the hell was going on.

"Kirk, you're coming with us. You're not even supposed to be here." He left the bridge with Kirk, the helmsman, and Spock.

**"How do you expect that to **_**work**_**? I'm a **_**dog**_**!"**

"Oh stop _whining_." He snapped, turning on Jim. He undid whatever had _been _done and Spock caught Jim as she staggered.

"Oh, get your _hands _off of me!" She snarled, shrugging him off, "Don't play nice with me, Spock. I _know _you hate me because I beat your little cheat of a test."

"Jim, cut it out."

"_He _started it! I wouldn't be in this mess if he'd swallowed his pride!"

"And _you _wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't _cheated_, Jim." Spock pointed out not-so-helpfully.

"I _didn't _cheat, you green-blooded bastard. Go back and look at the codes again, why don't you?" Jim snapped, "You left a loophole, genius."

"I did not."

"You did too."

"Hey! Jim, Spock, back off or I'll toss you out an airlock." He wasn't joking. He didn't want the Heirs bickering in the middle of _this _crisis, and it hurt that Spock wouldn't admit he was wrong this time. Jim _hadn't _cheated, she really hadn't, Spock just didn't like that someone had beaten his unbeatable test and done it honestly. Christopher left the Enterprise in Spock's hands, making him Acting Captain, and made Jim the ship's First Officer.

"And I want you two to work together. You don't have to agree with each other, I know you don't, but please…just…_try_."

"What about you, sir?"

"If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, come back and get me." Something told Christopher he wouldn't see the Enterprise again for a while, but he had faith in the officers he'd left in charge…if they could only get past their falling-out.


	6. Chapter 5

Ookay, then. Just a warning, this earns the upped rating! It's all consensual, I promise! Don't hate me, please don't hate me! It just...wrote itself, I swear. Some Jim/Spock Prime action below, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! Proceed with caution, not for the squicked or faint-hearted.

* * *

Five

When Jim got back to the Enterprise after a harrowing, death-defying free-fall to save Hikaru Sulu, she was _not _a happy camper. She hated Spock for getting her into this mess, and Bones for turning her into a dog. After trying to talk Spock into going after the Romulans to retrieve Captain Pike, _his _orders in fact, and failing, she only succeeded in getting herself kicked off the ship and stranded on…whatever this place was. Asking the pod's computer gave her the answer of Delta Vega. She was still in the Vulcan system, at least, but the Enterprise was a long fucking way from here. Damn it! Climbing out of the pod, she scrambled out of the deep hole her crash had caused and bundled up against the weather. Before finding shelter, Jim met a few of the local native, and carnivorous, fauna. Two different things tried to eat her for lunch, neither one got the chance, although it was a close shot with the hengrauggi. But someone chased the spider-thing away before it could eat Jim, who ran into an ice-cave to get away from it. As she lay gasping on the ice, her rescuer turned and Jim had a different reason to gasp. He was Vulcan. Silver eyebrows drew together and little lines appeared around the edges of wise brown eyes that looked so fucking familiar. She didn't _know _him, did she? He stared down at her, as though not sure of who or what she was. Then, he said her name.

"James T. Kirk." Okay, then. She didn't know any Vulcans _that _old, and the only Vulcan she _did _know hated her guts for the stupidest reason in the world. He'd also marooned her here for trying to talk sense into him. She staggered to her feet.

"Excuse me?"

"Jim."

"I'm sorry…do I, uh. _know _you from somewhere?"

"I have been and always shall be your friend." A strange choice of words for a complete stranger, he was sure no friend of hers. She wouldn't _mind _a friend here, whoever he was.

"Look, I _really _don't know who you are and…"

"I…am _Spock_." Spock? Re-ally? Boy, had the poles flipped or somethin'?

"Wait a minute. _You're _Spock?"

"Yes."

"Uh, no. See, the Spock _I _know is a _lot _younger and he's not my friend." She shrugged, "He _hates _me."

"Jim, what _happened _to you?" the crazy old Vulcan looked sad, but the way he said her name made her think he wasn't all that loopy. Lost, maybe, but not really crazy. A hell of a _lot _had happened to her, most of it in the last twenty-four hours. Jim hugged herself defensively.

"You wouldn't believe me if I _told _you, old man."

"Come, we must talk." He took her by the hand and led her further into the cave, where a fire crackled with remarkable warmth. Jim sat down slowly, groaning.

"Ow."

"You've been hurt, Jim."

"Oh yeah. Grappling with Romulans, getting my hand broken, then _you _nailed me with somethin' that knocked me out cold faster than Bones with a hypo. And then those…things. Whatever they were."

"I am sorry, Jim. I would never, ever hurt you."

"Yeah, well, you did." She didn't know why she trusted the crazy old Vulcan, but something told her he wasn't lying. Jim thought of something and looked across the fire at the old Vulcan, who watched her sadly, "What do you know about Nero?"

"Nero is a particularly troubled Romulan. He marooned me here to watch Vulcan die."

"Bastard. I knew I didn't like him." Jim got up and went around the fire, "But why? Why did he destroy Vulcan and why did he destroy seven ships before the Enterprise got there?"

"Let me show you, it will be easier." Spock reached out one hand and it was hard for Jim to sit still. She knew about mind-melds, but she'd never experienced one. Spock refused to touch her like that and she respected his wishes. Or she _had _respected his wishes before he accused her of cheating because he didn't like being outsmarted by a girl. What she saw took her breath away. In some future she would never see, Romulus had been destroyed by a supernova, Spock Prime had promised to save them and failed. Nero, in a fit of outrage, had pursued him into the resulting black hole once he managed to diffuse the supernova, emerging first and destroying the U.S.S. Kelvin. If not for Nero, her father would still be alive. That made Jim sad, to know she could have had a normal childhood…of sorts. _Cakoya _rarely had normal childhoods, and Jim's had just been a little more _not _normal than most. When Spock Prime let her go, she was almost in tears. He apologized for upsetting her, it couldn't be helped. She caught her breath and looked at him, stunned by everything he'd gone through.

"Oh my god. He's crazy!"

"I am so sorry, Jim."

"Shit." She put her head in her hands, "He won't stop until there's nothing left!" First Vulcan, Earth next…then what? Where would he stop? _When _would he stop? Could they stop _him _in time? Jim was aware of hands on her face, her neck, her hair. Fingertips touching, remembering, memorizing new territory that was old and familiar. She caught his hand in hers and pressed her lips to warm fingers. It was an impulsive, improper gesture, but she didn't care and he didn't pull away.

Jim learned what it was like to kiss a Vulcan the way Humans kissed each other, but she wanted more. _He _wanted more. She switched places with him so his back was against the wall of the cave and she straddled his hips, so close there wasn't room to breathe for herself. It was cold, freezing even in the cave, but her jacket was too bulky and it got in the way. She fought it off and it dropped behind them. She shivered in the cold air, but Spock Prime wrapped his arms around her and she wasn't cold anymore. He slipped one hand under the skirt of her dress, skimming until he reached bare skin, and she gasped as she realized how much warmer his body-temperature was to her own. She fought and fumbled with the belt and fasteners of his heavy snow-pants, cursing the slick material, but he wasn't having any kind of trouble. She got both the snow-pants and his trousers undone and pushed down far enough for what she was unashamedly about to do. Wouldn't the Grand Marshalls love _this_? Fuck them. Spock Prime had loved her, or someone _like_ her, that was enough for Jim. A brief blast of cold air hit the back of her thighs a split second before he wrapped her in her own coat and it was warm. She looked into his sad, wise brown eyes and kissed him.

"You loved me, Spock. When the world hated me, you alone loved me. Do that again."

"Always. Always." He huffed, pulling her closer still, "Please, _t'hy'la_. Please." She dug her fingers into the fabric of his lighter undercoat, they'd gotten the heavy snow-coat off at some point in the process, and went down. Jim threw her head back, wondering if the storm raging outside carried away her keening. Oh dear sweet lord! It was what her classmates and age-peers called a "quickie", but it was so good. When it was over, Jim caught her breath before she dared move. It hurt a little, and she winced, but it was a lovely pain. Getting dressed again, so to speak, it was time to find that blasted outpost and find a way back to the Enterprise.

"Spock?"

"Yes, Jim?"

"The Grand Marshalls have made it clear that I must marry before the end of my twenty-fifth year. I'm kinda running out of time."

"If you wish to be banned from the High Courts for marrying a man old enough to be your grandfather."

"I was wondering…could I marry _my _version of you?"

"Why would you _want _to? I was under the impression you can hardly stand each other."

"It was a misunderstanding and entirely my fault. I beat the Kobayashi Maru, _you _called it cheating, and Bones had to sneak me aboard the Enterprise." She thought on that for a minute, "Of course, he did turn me into a dog."

"A dog?"

"Second time, too. First time they had the wherewithal to turn me into a Rottweiler. This time I got lucky and Bones turned me into an Italian Greyhound." She snickered, "You should have seen the look on Captain Pike's face."

"I am sorry to have missed the fun." Spock Prime just smiled and pulled on his gloves, "I will pray that you can make peace with your Spock to fulfill your wish."

"I just know I can't have _you_, for a number of reasons, but he's fair game. The High Courts _want _me to marry another Heir, and since we just…well, you know what we just did. _My _Spock would be the best choice." Jim shrugged and wondered what would happen if she _did _get back to the Enterprise. Reaching the outpost, they met a disgruntled Starfleet engineer named Scotty, Spock Prime knew him somehow, and somehow, about five minutes later, Jim was saving Scotty from the water-turbine aboard the Enterprise. After _that _little adventure, they were apprehended by Security officers and led to the bridge, where she faced off against Spock, _her _Spock.

* * *

What started as a fight turned into something else _very _quickly. The bridge was no place for a fight like this, there wasn't _room_, but they fought for dominance anyway. Once, Jim caught Spock's hand mid-swing and time seemed to freeze. Everything just sort of…stopped. Intense emotions raced down Jim's fingertips, up her arm, and nestled into a little ball of…something at the base of her skull. Spock's eyes widened as he felt the same thing and Jim swallowed hard.

_Spock, _please_. Please let me do this. I can get us out of this alive, I know I can. Just…trust me. _She begged silently. Spock backed down first, to her everlasting shock, and looked at each member of the bridge-crew before he just simply left. As the door closed, Jim exhaled slowly and turned to the helm stations, "Mr. Sulu."

"Yes, Commander?"

"Captain. Get us turned around, we're going home. If we're lucky, we'll get there in time to stop the Romulans. As you were, ladies and gentlemen."

"Jim, wait!" Bones called her back, stunned by what they had all been witness to, "Where are _you _going?"

"I have to think, Bones. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn until either I get back or Commander Spock does."

"Captain?"

"You heard me." She looked at her officers sternly and left the bridge, bypassing a puzzled, hostile Sarek. She looked at him, met his gaze, _Don't do that, Ambassador. I'm not the one you should hate, I didn't do anything to you or your family. _He looked away first and she left the bridge at last. Jim caught up with Spock a few yards away, he was waiting around a corner and caught her as she passed him by.

"Jim." _I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything._

_I forgive you. I wasn't…well, I didn't behave in a manner befitting an officer of Starfleet. _She turned to her First Officer, "I never relieved you of your duties, Mr. Spock. And I _do _need a First Officer I can trust."

"Trust _me_, Captain."

"That seems like a reasonably good idea." She smiled and looked at him shyly, "You're not still mad at me because I beat that stupid test of yours, are you?"

"The Kobayashi Maru?"

"What else?"

"No. And I'm sorry I ever accused you of cheating. I knew you hadn't cheated."

"Then why?"

"I was angry."

"So you took it out on an innocent? Nice going. What pissed you off this time around?"

"I have heard from the Grand Marshalls."

"Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me." Jim frowned, "What did they _say_?"

"I must marry by the end of _this_ year…or else."

"Welcome to my world. I thought the This were bastards, but the Grand Marshalls have been awfully…I don't know, but I don't like them." Jim just sighed with relief. With that out of the way, she could enjoy her little time with Spock. They walked and chatted for an hour, and Jim knew this was just…natural. This is how it was supposed to be. When she returned to the bridge, she went alone. It was time to make plans to save Earth _and _the Federation. Pavel Chekov had a good idea. If they could reach Warp Factor 4 and come out of warp in orbit around one of Saturn's moons, say Titan, then the gravitational pull of the rings would interfere with the Narada's sensors allowing an Away Team to safely beam across, find the black-hole device, disable the drill if it had been actuated, and rescue Captain Pike. That all seemed a little far fetched, but Jim just smiled when Spock arrived and explained to Sulu and Bones that Chekov's plan was actually quite logical and _he _would be going.

"I can't let you do that, Mr. Spock." Jim fought off a smile and they argued semantics and regulation just for fun. It confused Bones and Sulu rather nicely. In the end, Jim and Spock beamed across to the Narada, and did the impossible. Not without Jim getting into a fisticuffs with the Romulans on her way to find Captain Pike, but it all turned out alright in the end. Once they were safely away, the black hole shrinking behind them, Jim got busy with assigning the crew to their tasks. Those with even a little medical knowledge were pressed into service in Sickbay, the rest of them were put on maintenance and engineering details.


	7. Chapter 6

Here be some K/S goodness, a little bonding, and a revelation.

* * *

Six

Getting home took about two weeks, and when they finally touched solid, safe ground inside the grounds of Starfleet Academy, Jim almost fell to her knees and kissed it. She had debriefed both the Admiralty and the Academy Board on the way home, and Spock had put in a good word. But Jim knew that she owed any future service in Starfleet to Captain Pike, who, from the confines of his bed in Sickbay, had literally ripped the Admiralty a new one, and left the Academy Board shaking in their boots. If they wanted to get rid of Jim Kirk, say goodbye to her officers. For striking an officer, and mutiny, she was handed down two months' probation. That pretty much meant she wasn't allowed anywhere _near _the Enterprise. But that was okay, the Enterprise was in drydock undergoing repairs that would probably _take _two months to finish. Classes at the Academy were put on hold while they attempted to cope with the loss of so many Cadets, and grief counseling was offered for those who had survived that journey through hell. Jim personally wrote letters to the families of every single one of the Cadets who had died, she felt it was her job as a Starfleet officer to acknowledge their sacrifices. By the end of the week, her fingers were cramped. Bones and Spock both thought she was nuts, but they let her write the letters by hand and even pitched in to help when they had time. Those letters were usually signed "Written by the Order of Captain J. Tiberius Kirk" so that people would know she had dictated the letter but not written it herself.

* * *

Once during her probation, Jim went home to Riverside for the first time in three years. Spock went with her for the visit, wondering why she returned at all to the place that only gave her nightmares. She took him to Riverside Community Graveyard.

"There's somebody I want to see." Jim led him up the hill to a certain part of the graveyard. She cleared away weeds and dead posies around the base of the headstone, tossing them into a pile for the groundskeepers to pick up and burn later before she shocked Spock by climbing onto the coverstone of the tomb. There was no body, it was more of a memorial to George Kirk.

"Captain, _what _are you doing? Come down!"

"Nah. I used to come out here all the time before I went to Starfleet and sit here. I used to talk to my dad all the time, right here. Just like this." She patted the cool marble, "Come on up, it's okay."

"Are you certain? It seems so…disrespectful of the dead."

"I never got the impression my dad was a "proper" sort of guy. I might be wrong." She kicked her heels and waited while Spock joined her.

"Why did you come here, Captain?"

"Because it was safe. It was quiet. Frank wouldn't come _near _this place if you dragged him, so I would come up here and hide for hours until it got dark." Jim looked up at the sky, "I'd talk to Dad, sometimes I yelled at him, sometimes I just cried. One night Mom forgot where I was and I slept out here. Scared one of the groundskeepers right into a fresh grave, she thought I was dead." Jim chuckled, "It's a horrible thing to laugh at, but I remember it because…I slept that night. I had a dream about my father that night, that he came to see me and held me while I slept."

"Does it ever bother you that you never _knew _your father? Just what people told you about him?"

"Yeah, but there was nothing for it. He died the day I was born." She rubbed the marble, "I just remember, I wasn't cold at all that night." Spock looked sad and thoughtful. She thought of Spock Prime for a minute and wondered what he would say about this. He'd probably approve. Jim sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees, brushing a wrinkle out of the skirt of her uniform. Maybe she wasn't allowed near the Enterprise, but she was going to wear the uniform if it was the last goddamned thing she _did_. It was quiet as she sat on the coverstone with Spock, but it wasn't an awkward silence. They weren't alone very long, Jim's skin prickled after only thirty minutes. A _cakuya _was coming, maybe a Silogh or Nerohi. It was Human, but not _taresim _or _mesicha_. Definitely _not _a _taresim_. Jim raised her head and saw the gentleman climbing the hill and reached over to shake Spock.

"Spock, look! Look!"

"Oh, not the Grand Marshalls, _please _not them."

"I don't think he's a Grand Marshall." Jim whispered. As the man grew closer, Jim knew he _wasn't _a Grand Marshall. Thank god for that. He looked up and saw them sitting on the coverstone, but he didn't look angry. Instead, he smiled.

"Well, _there _you are! I was wondering when you'd come back." He chuckled and came closer, "Three years, Jimmy girl. That's a long time away from home." The sun was behind him, so she couldn't _quite _see his face. She looked at Spock, who shrugged. Not a Grand Marshall, not a This, and definitely not a _taresim _or a _mesicha_. He was _cakuya_. Finally, he got close enough that Jim could actually see his face and she heard Spock gasp softly in alarm.

"Oh my god."

"Captain…"

"Yeah, I see it, Spock." She gulped, but didn't dare move from the coverstone. She had seen pictures of her father prior to his death the day she had been born James Tiberius Kirk, and knew he was a handsome, tallish man with light brown hair and kind blue eyes. The man standing before them looked like George Kirk the way he sometimes appeared to Jim in her dreams. Older, just a few years older than Admiral Pike, with streaks of gray in his hair and lines on his face etched in by time, suffering, and who knew what else. Scars, memories, more sadness than laughter. As he looked from Jim to Spock, he smiled and laugh-lines appeared in the corners of his eyes and his mouth. He had a nice smile, and a wonderful laugh.

"Y'know, I never thought I'd live to see the day my daughter got herself named Captain of the Enterprise."

"I don't think _any_one did, sir." Jim murmured, "I wasn't dreaming that night, was I?"

"No, Jimmy, you weren't dreaming. And you didn't dream about me any other nights you saw me, not until you got old enough to wise up and leave this sorry town behind." His smile turned sad and Jim remembered something from her childhood. The lock on her window, some old-fashioned thing from the twenty-first century, had _never _worked right. They replaced it, but it always seemed to stop working a few days later, and the window never wanted to close all the way, either. And yet, on the coldest nights of the year, Jim's window would be securely shut _and _locked when she fell asleep. She looked at Spock and slipped from the coverstone. Approximately five paces later, she was wrapped up in a hug so familiar but so strange.

"Go ahead, Jimmy. It's alright." Her father coaxed her into tears she'd been meaning to let go of for _months_. Maybe years, she wasn't sure. Spock was right there with her, a warm, comforting presence in her mind. It actually felt _good _to cry, and when her tears wouldn't come anymore, Jim pulled back.

"He was right." She sniffled, "He didn't know it, but he was _right_."

"Who was right?" her father wondered as she buried her face in a handkerchief.

"Ambassador Sataya. He said that you were alive to see me become Captain of the Enterprise in his universe. And you were in this one, too." Jim smiled, "I just didn't know that."

"Ah, yes. Ambassador Sataya. A fine gentleman, rather odd sense of humor for a Vulcan, though."

"I think we can blame that on an entire former lifetime of knowing yours truly, Dad." Jim looked over her shoulder at Spock, "I have a bad habit of rubbing off on people like that." Her father chuckled and suggested they leave the cemetery, which they did promptly. He invited them to come home with him, and Jim was eager enough to spend as much time as possible with her father, so they went home. Not to the Kirk house out on 214, but a much nicer, larger spread a few miles away down 144. Jim fell in love with it immediately.

"Spock, look!" she pointed out the window of her dad's truck, "Horses!"

"Do you ride, Commander?" her father looked at them in the rearview mirror.

"My mother was very fond of the sport and passed her love of it on to me, though I did not have much chance to take part in it as I might have wished." Spock looked thoughtful, "My studies did not leave much time for leisure."

"We can fix that." Her father smiled and parked in front of a beautiful two-storey log cabin. Well, it was more like a one-storey cabin with a loft that made up the second storey. It was wonderful, and Jim loved it.

"Wow! This is where you live?"

"Home sweet, kid. Come on, I'll give you kids the grand tour and then you can go do your own thing." Her father chuckled and they piled out of the truck. There was a guest-room on the main level, and the master-bedroom, and a third bedroom on the loft. After the tour, Jim raced Spock to the barn, where they discovered the hay-loft. Jim jumped into a pile of soft, fresh-cut hay that had been drying for two days, giggling as Spock studied her for a brief moment.

"Oh _come _on, Spock!" she pouted, "It's _fun_!" With a shrug, Spock fell backwards, landing in the hay beside her. Jim smiled and reached for Spock's hand. He allowed for the contact, which kind of surprised Jim. Jim experimented to see how far she could go before Spock told her to stop, rolling onto her side so she faced Spock directly and threading her fingers through his until their palms touched. The presence that was Spock, a constant in her mind, grew warmer and brighter. They must have wasted half an hour just touching, never saying a word, before her dad called them down to get in a few hours in the saddle, see how Jim and Spock shaped up as equestrians. Jim picked out a feisty palomino named Pegasus, who didn't have much experience taking riders. Jim snickered and went for a different bridle than the one in her hand.

"I used to ride down at Uncle Rick's place all the time when I was little, he taught me how to break horses and ride those who didn't like people." She got a coil of lead-rope as well and headed for the paddock where her father had isolated Pegasus from the rest of his herd. He kept maybe twenty horses, this would be a fun trip home. Fifteen minutes later, Jim brought Pegasus to her knees and bridled the palomino mare before mounting bareback. As she let Pegasus get up again, she patted the mare's neck.

"Good girl, Pegasus. There, that wasn't so bad." Jim looked over her shoulder to see Spock mounted on Carlos, a spotted leopard Appaloosa she remembered riding in her childhood. Her dad must have bought a few horses off of Uncle Rick, she knew Pegasus and Carlos on sight.

"Don't you need a saddle, Jim?"

"Nah, I can feel the horse move under me better this way, and Pegasus doesn't take a saddle very well." She shrugged, "Pegasus isn't going to throw me, she knows better." It was clear Spock didn't believe her for a minute, but there wasn't much he could do to convince her to either change mounts or take a riding-pad. For the next two hours, Jim and Spock rode the pastures and fields of her dad's farm, free and with no worries except getting back before sunset.


	8. Chapter 7

AN: There be a little angst here, but nothing too terrible, just an incredibly frightening close call.

* * *

Seven

Jim and Spock were with her father for three days before things got particularly messy. It all came to bear one morning when Spock didn't show up for breakfast, and since he wasn't particularly known for sleeping in late, Jim went to get him. She knocked on the door first.

"Spock? Are you awake in there?"

**"Jim, help me!"**

"Oh no." Jim got the door open, she had to use a hacking spell to free the lock, and skidded to a halt just inside the door. Spock was in trouble, alright. At the moment, a This agent had him by the scruff of the neck. They had turned him into a cat and were trying, unsuccessfully, to stuff him into a sack.

**"Don't let them take me! I won't come back if they take me!"** Spock clawed, spat, and fought like a mad thing, but to no avail. They stuffed him into the sack and Jim knew she had to do something. She recognized these particular This agents, they wouldn't be leaving her father's house alive. She clenched her hands into fists behind her back.

"I'll take this one, you finish the girl." The taller agent hefted the squirming sack.

**"Don't let them take me, please!"** Spock pleaded, it was the first time she had ever seen or heard him so blatantly afraid, **"Please!"** Jim dodged the first spell, and the second, _that _was easy. Dropping to the floor, she transformed into an Irish Wolfhound and went after the one left to kill her. He vanished in a cloud of gold dust and Jim turned on the one holding the sack. Swiping at his throat, she caught the sack in her teeth and lunged for the window. Glass shattered and they fell two storeys. Shaking off the landing, Jim ripped the sack open with her teeth. Spock rolled out of the sack and lay still on the grass. Jim nuzzled him worriedly, he was almost _too _still.

**"Spock?"**

**"Are they…gone?"**

**"Yes, Spock, they're gone now."** Jim heard the door slam open and got up, standing over Spock in case it was more This. It was just her father, who looked at Jim in dog-form standing over Spock in cat-form, and narrowed his eyes.

"How many were there?"

**"Just two. They were trying to kidnap Spock."**

"Why Spock?"  
**"I recognized them from the last two…incidents."** Jim laid down on the grass and let Spock nestle into the space between her paws. He curled up and started purring, it was rather cute.

**"Thank you, Jim."**

**"For what?"**

**"Risking your life for mine."** One green cat-eye opened and Jim wished she could smile. Instead, she settled for licking Spock's ear, which he didn't like much at all. Her father chuckled and went back into the house, leaving them outside on the grass. It was warm and the sun felt nice on her fur.

* * *

George Kirk looked out the kitchen window at the odd pair snoozing on the grass as he waited for a call to go through to Starfleet Embassy. Once he was done making this call, he'd mobilize the Nalorhi. Someone wanted the Heirs dead, but it wouldn't happen on his watch. Part of him was worried about Leonard McCoy, the Heir of Silogh. The call went through and he was greeted by a very severe-looking Ambassador Sarek.

"Inene Sarek." He bowed his head.

"Siga Kirk, where are the Heirs who are with you now?"

"They're outside, I can see them from here." He looked out the window, knowing he was allowed to look away. Jim and Spock had recovered from the scare and were playing in the grass, "The Heirs of Sanhaar and Nerohi are perfectly safe. What news from San Francisco?"

"I do not wish to cause any alarm, but have you by chance been visited by…This of the Yi'kekehu?"

"Two of them broke into my house. My daughter destroyed them both before any damage could be done. What's happened?"

"There was an attack made on Starfleet Medical's Central Hospital, and I know they are both dear friends of Doctor Leonard McCoy." The severity of Sarek's expression gave George a sick feeling in his gut.

"Ambassador, please…"

"Someone wants the Heirs dead."

"Tell me something I don't know, Ambassador. Any word on Doctor McCoy?"

"No, it only just happened. The Nalorhi will not stand for this. I will speak to Ambassador Sataya."

"I'll mobilize the Nalorhi on my end, you get the net spread in San Francisco, and I'll send the kids on their way. Jim would never forgive me if something happened to Doctor McCoy and I kept it from her." George looked out the window. He signed off with Sarek and went to see what the news was saying. Arial footage of Starfleet Medical was being shown, and he gasped out loud at the utter destruction. It would take _months _to rebuild, and with the Federation reeling from the Romulan attack a few months earlier, this wasn't going to go over well with Starfleet Command. The comm. rang and he ran for it. It was Christopher Pike.

"Chris, give me good news! I just saw what they did to the hospital! Please tell me he's okay!"

"They've started pulling out survivors, I put a priority on Doctor McCoy, but so far he hasn't surfaced."

"Oh god. Oh god, I can't tell Jim and Spock he might be dead." George covered his face with one hand. The front door slammed open and the kids came running in. He didn't have to tell them anything, they already knew. They ran upstairs and changed, emerging minutes later in duty-uniform. He drove them out to the transport station and paid for the transporter time to get them straight to San Francisco. Jim was practically in tears, it wasn't good for any of them. Time to roust out the Nalorhi and hunt down the Yi'kekehu and the This responsible.

* * *

As soon as she touched down in Starfleet Command, quietly blessing her father for quick thinking, Jim bolted off the platform, Spock right on her heel. Reaching ground-level, she could see the smoke from Starfleet Medical and wondered if it was bad she wanted to scream until she couldn't anymore. Spock got her out of sight and they spell-cast themselves into dog-form as German Shepherds. They were less likely to draw much attention that way. Then it was a race to Central Hospital, and praying furiously the whole time that Bones was okay. Once they reached the hospital, they slipped past Security cordons and curious bystanders mingling with Starfleet Disaster Recovery officers and civilian Emergency Medical Response agents. Their bond with Bones was weak but not dissolved, he was still alive. One whole half of the hospital had come down, they bee-lined for that half of the hospital. Jim was frantic by the time she caught his scent amid the stench of smoke and blood and burned flesh. She couldn't tell if he was trapped or what, but she used her paws to dig away the loose top layer of rubble.

**"Spock! Help me dig! He's down there!"** she barked, digging furiously. _Bones, please be alright, please be okay! _They dug for ten minutes before they hit an obstacle. It was a piece of steel shaped like a door, and they realized it was a door that had been blown out of it's tracks. Jim and Spock started barking furiously, trying to get attention.

"Jim! Jim!" A voice came from under the panel and she froze. He was conscious! Thank god! She went around to where there was a gap between the panel and the hollow space where he had apparently fallen or hidden. Jim wriggled into the space, licking the hand that reached for her.

"Jim! Thank god…you're okay!" he coughed. Jim whined.

**"Bones! You're alive! Don't worry, we'll get you out of here in no time! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"**

"Not bad, sweetheart. I'm okay."

**"Can you move?"**

"I think so. My back's okay." He reached for her collar and she squirmed backwards, pulling him when she caught his sleeve in her teeth. There was enough room for him to maneuver and she backed out of the space, tugging on his sleeve to coax him out into the open. Now, granted, Bones was not small, but he managed to worm his way to safety. At one point both Jim and Spock were dragging him free. Finally, he was free and he got to his knees, coughing up blood. He _looked _terrible, covered in bruises, abrasions, and dust. His uniform was stained with blood and grime, but he was alive. The rescue workers hadn't reached them yet, despite the barking, so Jim and Spock returned to Human form to help him over the field of rubble. For once in three years, he didn't argue with them. The Heirs were safe for now, that was the only thing that mattered.


	9. Chapter 8

**_A moment of utter terror for Jim and Spock when San Francisco comes under attack. Everything ends up alright, though. Just bear with me!_**

* * *

Eight

When the bomb shook the Starfleet Complex, Nyota Uhura had been among the first on the scene. The others were fast to join her at the wrecked Central Hospital, and when it was known that Doctor Leonard McCoy, CMO, was still missing in action, she pretty much lost it. Forty-eight hours and two weeks had done a lot for crew bonding, especially with the Senior Officers. Scotty was there to hold her while she sobbed hysterically. Suddenly, she heard something, something above the wail of sirens and the shouting of orders by various organizers. She was a _cakuya_, her hearing was incredibly acute, and she heard footsteps. She looked up from sobbing into Scotty's shoulder and looked over her own shoulder. Smoke obscured most of the wreckage from a certain point, but through that smoke she saw something.

"Oh! S-Scotty! Look!"

"What's that, lass?"

"Look! Look there, in that smoke!" She pointed, "I see something!" They all watched, hardly daring to breathe, as three figures emerged from the smoke, three Humans. Two were in crisp, nearly spotless Starfleet duty-uniform, the other in a soiled white Medical duty-uniform. Nyota actually screamed. He was alive! And she didn't _care _where Jim Kirk and Spock had come from, they'd found him! Without a second thought, she sprinted past the Security officers in charge of corralling the crowds, ducking under their reach. The others followed, menacing the officers who tried to stop them.

"Jim! Spock!" she yelled, clearing rubble, "You found him!"

"Nyota!" Jim's voice was strained, she was supporting most of Doctor McCoy's weight. Nyota hugged him, apologizing for hurting him when he winced, and then turned to Jim and Spock, who looked awful in their own rights. She didn't even think twice before she hugged Jim.

"Thank god you're okay! What's happening?"

"Someone wants the Heirs of the Three Houses dead, Nyota. I imagine the Nalorhi have already been mobilized to protect us."

"Oh my god!" Nyota brushed away tears, "Why?"

"I don't know. I'm almost positive the Yi'kekehu are behind this, it only makes sense." Jim brushed her bangs off her forehead, "Two This agents tried to kidnap Spock an hour ago, I killed them both."

"Bastards." McCoy coughed. Seeing them, _finally_, a team of Starfleet Medics descended and shuffled the battered, exhausted CMO to a stretcher. Pulling rank, Jim and Spock stayed right with him. Having seen, touched, and made contact, Nyota could stay behind. She went to the Embassy next and was greeted by Captain Kirk, Admiral Pike, and both Ambassadors. They asked for word. Everyone was fine, the three Senior Officers were all safe.

"Jim and Spock must have snuck past the guards and found him themselves." She shook her head, "I know the Yi'kekehu want the Heirs of the Three Houses dead, but what about the rest of us?"

"You're safe, Nyota. Don't worry, I've already assigned two of the Nelorhi to protect you until we find out who tried to kill Jim, Spock, and McCoy all within an hour." Kirk frowned, looking so much like his daughter. All they could do now was wait. Scotty came to get her after an hour and took her out to dinner. They didn't talk much, not that there was a whole lot to say between them, but Nyota was grateful for the callous, foul-mouthed engineer's company that night.

* * *

Four days after the bombing of Starfleet Medical Central Hospital, the Heirs of the Three Houses were spirited away from Earth under great secrecy under cover of darkness. It was like something out of an old fairy-tale. Only a few people actually knew where they were going, even the Heirs didn't know. Their wardens were sending them to Silverlake, a refuge on New Vulcan, it was the safest place for them to go in time of danger.

When their stay in Silverlake extended over a month and a half, Jim started to worry. The Enterprise must have launched by now, and she couldn't imagine who they had found to replace her. Admiral Pike had promised her the Enterprise, and Starfleet Council had done the same. Two months grounded and it was hers for taking wherever they sent her. But _she _was on New Vulcan, not on the Enterprise. Bones caught her stargazing one night, something she did a lot of when she couldn't sleep.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? You've been out here all night."

"I'm worried about the Enterprise. What if they gave her to somebody else?" There, she'd said it.

"I may not always agree with some of their policies or regulations, but I think that would be a new low even for Starfleet Council." Bones hugged her from behind, "They wouldn't do that to you, babe. Admiral Pike and your old man wouldn't let them."

"Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being."

"No problem." He smiled, she felt the curve of his lips when he kissed the back of her neck. She reached back and her palm scraped against a three-day growth. Jim just smiled as the short scruffy beard scratched the back of her neck.

"You haven't shaved."

"Didn't feel like it."

"Bad you." She dropped her head forward as he rubbed his cheek against the side of her neck.

"Y'know, _I _should be thankin' _you_, darlin'."

"Why?"

"You came and got me outta that mess before anybody else tried lookin'."

"You're welcome." Jim leaned her head back to rest against his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Jim?"

"Hmm?"

"They're not gonna take the Enterprise away from you. I promise."

"You have more faith in them than I do." She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. After a while, Bones coaxed her back inside, promising Starfleet Council didn't hate her _that _much.

* * *

**_Poll time!!! Jim has to marry, and soon. Should she marry Bones or Spock? I've got it written as Bones, but I can switch it to be Spock real easy. What's the fan-base say on this oh-so delicate matter of the heart?_**


	10. Chapter 9

_**Okay, I got sick of waiting and this begged to be updated! Here's the wedding! Like it, hate it? Don't care otherwise? Talk to me, people, I crave feedback.**_

* * *

Nine

"What ye are about to witness comes down from the time of the beginning without change. This is the Cakuya heart. This is the Cakuya soul. This is our way." The priest's voice was calm and level, almost monotone. Before him knelt a man and a woman. The woman wore a white satin dress with a surplice neckline, the man a dress-uniform of white with green side-panels and the rank-stripes of Commander on the sleeves. At the proper time, they exchanged rings and the priest bound their hands together with a white ribbon. When all rituals had been attended to, all words spoken, the priest announced them to the small crowd of witnesses as man and wife. Hand in hand, the newly-wed couple got to their feet and shared their first traditional kiss _as _a married couple. At least four of the witnesses smiled. At the proper time during the reception, the newly-weds took their leave of their guests and departed together.

* * *

Jim stood on the balcony of the suite she now shared with her husband, watching the moons of New Vulcan rise above the mountains. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath. The warm desert wind played with her dressing-robe, and the light, sleeveless nightgown she wore underneath. Behind her, the door-curtain was pulled aside. Jim smiled and closed her eyes, listening to the soft slap of bare feet on stone as her husband came up behind her.

"Jim?"

"You missed me."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking, and wondering if I've disappointed Ambassador Sataya." She frowned a little, _knowing _she had disappointed him.

"Why? Because you didn't marry Spock?"

"Where he came from, we _were _married."

"He should have known better."

"You'd think, considering how _different _everything is here." She leaned back against Bones and wondered if she'd made the wrong choice marrying her best friend. Spock would always have a place in her heart, they all knew that, but…just not as her husband. That honor went to Bones, who had been there for her for the last three years no matter what shit life put her through.

"That's not all, is it?"

"No. I made Spock a promise, Bones. I can't marry him, but I told him that when his _pon farr _comes, I'll be there for him."

"You offered to get him through _that_? Brave girl. Think you can handle it?"

"Yeah." She turned and smiled up at Bones, "But don't worry, I'm all yours until then." Bones just chuckled, god how she loved that sound, and kissed her. He coaxed her back inside, where lamps provided much of the illumination in the room itself. In the back of her mind, Jim knew she would have to tell Bones her darkest and most closely-guarded secret. But not tonight, not on her wedding night. Tonight, she fully intended to enjoy herself.

* * *

Several hours later, Jim watched her husband sleep and had to smile. What had started as tragedy had become something wonderful. She was married to one of her best friends and the Grand Marshalls couldn't bitch about her being unmarried any longer. Unfortunately, she reflected, poor Spock was still fair game. She'd have to see what they could do to get the Grand Marshalls off _his _back, it was ridiculous the demands they made of the Heirs of the Three Houses.

Some part of Jim Kirk knew that Leonard McCoy would always be there for her, but she had to wonder if that would still be true if he knew the truth about who she _really _was. She kept trying to think of ways to tell him, and she came so close more than once, but never actually _said _those awful words to him in conversation.

* * *

As it happened, she didn't have to _say _anything. He found out on his own about four months after the wedding. In the time since their return from saving the Federation, Jim had done the impossible and landed herself the center chair of the USS Enterprise, and Leonard had followed his wife to serve as the ship's Chief Medical Officer. His first order of business was to compile all of the Captain's medical records into a single, concise, organized file.

Using his Level One Medical Clearance, he requested Jim's old records from Riverside Community Hospital and received them within the week. He ended up with three volumes and wondered what kept her in the hospital so long or so often. Sitting down with two hours blocked out, overrides on _both _doors, and the first of many cups of coffee, he flipped open the first volume and started reading. There was one problem, one that had him paying _much _closer attention and checking the RCH records against his own. James T. Kirk wasn't a mistake, _she _had been born to George and Winona Kirk, the second of two sons, on March 22nd, 2233. That was the problem! In 2251, the This had gotten fed up with the Nerohi Heir and turned him into a dog. Quite possibly the single most humiliating moment of his lifetime, if you didn't count the incident three years ago when a particularly malevolent This agent had turned the Heir into a woman, which explained the so-called "disappearance" _of _the Heir from Riverside, Iowa at roughly the same time Leonard had picked up a frightened hitchhiker running from her abusive stepfather. Leonard compared a picture of Jim Kirk prior to 2255 to one of the pictures _he _had of her. There was no mistaking the eyes, it was definitely Jim.

"Oh…my god. _That's _what happened to him?" Leonard wasn't mad at Jim for keeping this secret to herself, he couldn't _blame _her! She'd been trying to tell him something for a long time now, and he had a damn good idea what kind of hurt Jim was trying to save them both. He loved her for it, loved her more for trying to protect _him _from her awful secret. Leonard finished compiling the records and sealed everything from April 16th, 2255 back, marked it "Confidential: CMO Only". Everything from the last three years was open for scrutiny. With that fun out of the way, Leonard finished up some of the other paperwork that kept stacking up on his desk. Ah, well, all in a day's work. He only realized he'd forgotten to unlock the doors when the outer door was coded open with an override.

"Okay, who pissed you off this time?"

"Nobody. Sorry, I forgot to lift the overrides." He looked up at Jim, who let the door close behind her. She looked tired, not surprising.

"That's okay. What good are Captain's overrides if you can't use them?" Jim tried to smile and couldn't. He saw her flexing her left hand and pushed back from the desk, knowing what had kept her busy all this time.

"How many letters did you get done?"

"All of them." Jim shook her head, "Do you have any idea how much it hurts to write those letters?"

"Yeah, I do. Come 'ere." He hugged his wife, who never took deaths easy. Sometimes it was stupid accidents when something went wrong on the ship, sometimes it was on away missions and there was nothing you could do but bring them back and let them die somewhere safe and familiar. And sometimes, you encountered hostiles and you had to wait for things to settle down and the smoke to clear up before you could do a body-count. They'd lost twelve people, six to bed-rest in Sickbay as critical patients, and six to bury when they got home. Those six were in stasis. Jim had written letters to all twelve families, specifically the six whose loved ones would be coming home in boxes. Two Klingon warbirds had engaged the Enterprise, they wanted Captain Kirk for a bloodprice. But they'd sent the bastards running after destroying one warbird and crippling the other. It wasn't the first time, it wouldn't be the last, and Leonard dreaded the day someone managed to kidnap Jim for ransom. Some part of him wondered how badly Jim's enemies wanted her dead, how far they'd go to get her out of the way. Leonard drew her to the couch in his office and just held her. It was all he could do, she didn't ask for anything else.

* * *

After seeing to the families and funeral arrangements for the deceased crewmembers on Earth, Starfleet Command handed down new orders and the Enterprise set out again. Since this was their fourth encounter with hostiles in as many months, and that wasn't even counting the missions they went on, Admiral Pike bade the Council chose wisely just precisely where they sent the Enterprise. Nowhere _near _the Neutral Zone, if you please. It sounded awfully boring, but when orders came down that they got to chart spatial anomalies of the benign breed, basically counting dust particles for fun, the Captain wasn't the only one who heaved a sigh of relief. They _needed _something boring, to be quite honest.


	11. Chapter 10

**_Here's the first encounter between Jim's Enterprise and Captain Picard's Enterprise. Hope you like it!_**

* * *

Ten

Jim had been in the command chair for about a year and a half when things got a little weirder than usual. The Enterprise was on a routine scouting mission near the border of the Klingon Neutral Zone, definitely not her favorite place to spend time, when two warbirds engaged them. They destroyed one and focused all of their efforts on the second, as well as the two that showed up as reinforcements.

The ensuing battle almost destroyed the Enterprise and would have if they hadn't slipped through a tear in the time-space continuum that was just big enough for the Enterprise, falling into a future that wasn't theirs to have known. The Klingons, not about to loose their favorite prey, went after them. That turned out to be a bad miscalculation on their part, they believed the Enterprise would be easy to catch wounded as she was. None of them were counting on help coming from an entirely unexpected source.

* * *

Resentful of Starfleet Command for keeping him away from the frontlines when the Borg were quite literally on the Federation's doorstep, Jean-Luc Picard was a bearish man to handle. Matters were made worse and all at once better when they were witness to a strange sight. Three Klingon warbirds were reported within range of the Enterprise, but that wasn't the best part.

"Captain, you'd better get up here. You should see what they're chasing after." His First Officer of eight years hailed him from the bridge. When he stepped onto the bridge, he was already barking order to fire on the Klingons if they had ignored warnings to fall back into Klingon space. They were in the Neutral Zone now, opening fire on Federation vessels was against the rules.

"They're not falling back, Captain."

"Fire at will, I don't want a single one of those ships to escape. Do you understand?"

"Aye, Captain." His officers got busy and he didn't look away from the screens as they came between the much smaller Federation vessel and the Klingons, cutting off the pursuit. It was clear this had been going on for a while, the Federation ship was in shambles. He spared a thought for it's crew, and focused on the Klingons. He'd worry about the Federation crew later. As soon as the last warbird was in pieces, he asked after the Federation vessel.

"That's what I wanted you to see, Captain." William Riker joined him, "Data, bring up the Federation vessel and magnify the saucer hull."

"Aye, Commander." Lieutenant Data did as ordered and when he saw the ship up close, Jean-Luc almost forgot how to breathe. It looked just a _little _different, but there was no mistaking that ship for anything else.

"It's the Enterprise!"

"Looks like Captain Kirk's Enterprise, sir."

"It _is_, Commander. Dear God!" The enormity of what they had just done hit them all and he asked after the names of the warbirds. He'd never heard of them, or of their captains. That didn't mean a damn thing.

"Hail them." Meaning the Enterprise.

"We've been trying, sir, but we're getting no response." Tasha Yar, standing in as his Security Chief while Worf was serving on Deep Space 9, shook her head, "We've hailed them six times, we're not getting anything back." When no further hailing attempts were answered, Jean-Luc ordered an Away Team to report to Transporter Room 3. His Senior Officers joined him, as he had expected they would. Jean-Luc gave the order to engage transporters with a sick feeling in his gut. They materialized on the bridge, which was still under red-alert mode. Smoke obscured much of the bridge, he couldn't tell the extent of the damage done by the Klingons. One by one, the officers were found and identified. They were all so _young_, and after positively identifying the officers in Science blue as Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy, Jean-Luc knew he had the right ship.

"Where is the Captain?" he wondered aloud.

"Captain!" Yar called him to the command chair, Jean-Luc went to find his Security Chief kneeling over a slight figure in gold. He was beginning to think this Enterprise had slipped through a temporal rift of some kind, their uniforms were roughly mid-23rd century. Those were the days when gold had been command-division, and red had been engineering-division. Blue would always be science and medical, that was something that had stayed the same throughout the years between Kirk's time and Jean-Luc's.

"This isn't Captain Kirk." He whispered, his heart sinking as Yar rolled the Enterprise's Captain onto her back, "This can't be right."

"These _are _Captain Kirk's Senior Officer's, sir." William Riker, his own First Officer, called from the helm where he was scanning the helmsman and the navigator, "I have Lieutenant Sulu and Ensign Chekov. Data found Lieutenant Uhura, _you _found Doctor McCoy, and Doctor Crusher found Commander Spock. Who else could that possibly _be_?"

"Beverley." Jean-Luc called for _his _CMO. Riker had a point, but something wasn't adding up. Crusher scanned the captain and her eyes grew wide.

"Jean-Luc, it _is _Captain Kirk!"

"How?" He sat back on his heels. This just _couldn't _be right. He didn't have much time to dwell on this bizarre turn of events, the Captain began to stir under Yar's hand. They watched blue eyes fly open and focus on the first thing she actually _saw_. She got one good look at them and scrambled. Jean-Luc had never seen a Human move so fast in his _life_. The startled Captain literally vaulted the railing behind the command chair, her eyes wild and hostile.

"How did you get aboard the Enterprise? Where…w-where did you come from?!" Jean-Luc got to his feet slowly, not wanting to frighten the poor girl any more than she already was. After what she'd just been through, he didn't blame her for hostilities.

"Captain Kirk, you are not in the twenty-third century anymore." It was the kindest thing he could say to her, "We are _not _going to hurt you or anyone on your crew."

"You're Starfleet." She looked at him, really looked at him, "I..I recognize your uniforms." She looked around, picking out Jean-Luc's officers, "I k-know you. I know it sounds crazy, but I _know _you."

"You're from the past, Captain, how would you know _us_?" Riker frowned. Kirk didn't, _she _smiled.

"You're William Riker. First Officer of _two_ Enterprises, captain of your own ship someday. Doctor Crusher, CMO of those same Enterprises, one of the finest CMOs in Starfleet. And I'm not just saying that, I _know _that." It wasn't often Jean-Luc got to see his surgeon blush, but Kirk could do it with a compliment. One by one, her officers were brought around and she had to talk them down from lashing out. The people on her bridge were welcome there. Status-reports started coming in from all sectors of the ship and Jean-Luc, seeing a cause for usefulness, offered Captain Kirk whatever he could give her by way of materials and manpower. She took him up on that offer and he had teams assembled to start making repairs on the Enterprise. They also left their immediate location to get as far from the Neutral Zone as they could. If anyone raised hell about this, Jean-Luc would just have to admit that the Klingons had overstepped their boundaries and engaged a Federation vessel within the Neutral Zone.

* * *

Over the next four days, the Enterprise was a hive of activity as repairs were made. Both the Enterprise Sickbay and that of it's much larger sister were busy taking care of the wounded. In the end, Captain Kirk had to write twenty-seven letters. Something told her she'd be writing a _lot _more before she got her Enterprise home safely…_if _she got home. Captain Picard was a great help to her, and she spent as much time wandering the decks of the Enterprise-E as she did patrolling her own beloved ship. She could see why Ambassador Selvar had spoken so well of Captain Picard, why his memories of the man were so fond.

It was a week before the Enterprise was back in fighting condition, Captain Kirk wasn't the only one grateful. They had just finished all of the repairs to the Enterprise when Jim and her Senior Officers were summoned to the Enterprise-E for a conference. When they arrived, she knew it was bad. She only knew it was bad because she found Captain Picard and Commander Riker in the briefing room arguing over whether or not to adhere to their original orders. She leaned against the door-frame and watched them bicker back and forth, wondering if this is what _she _looked like when she was going at it with Spock.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen? Bones is already on his way down to Sickbay."

"Jim!" the two men spun around, and she snickered.

"Jesus, if this is what I look like when I've got a bone to pick with Spock, I feel sorry for my bridge-crew." She pushed away from the door, "What's up?"

"Our orders are to remain on the Neutral Zone to make sure the Romulans don't try taking advantage of Starfleet having it's back turned."

"Who's come knocking down the back door _this _time?"

"The Borg."

"Never heard of 'em. So?"

"We don't belong out here, Captain. They don't _need _us out here. Starfleet Command is just trying to keep _him _out of the way of the Borg." Riker gave his captain a look Jim got from _her _officers when she did something stupid, usually when she was being particularly hard-headed about something.

"Why?"

"I had an…encounter with the Borg six years ago. Starfleet Command is afraid I might be…influenced by them."

"Let me take a wild stab here and say the only thing you'll be "influenced" to do to these freaks is destroy every one you get your hands on?"

"You _do _speak your mind, Captain Kirk." Picard chuckled.

"Yeah, it tends to get me into hot water with Admiral Pike and Admiral Kirk." She shrugged, "Don't tell me you're going to sit here and be a good little boy while the Borg have some fun with the rest of the armada?"

"Order."

"Excuse me, Captain, but fuck orders." Jim rolled her eyes, "Trust me, I _know _it's okay to disobey orders on occasion. I sure wouldn't be here if I followed orders all the time."

"Oh, I _like _this girl." Riker snickered, "She's good." Any further discussion was put on hold as they were contacted by Admiral Hayes, who informed them that a Borg cube had attacked a Federation outpost and crossed into space. Either he didn't see Jim or mistook her for one of Picard's officers, but he didn't seem to care much that she was standing there. As soon as that communication was ended, Jim folded her arms across her chest.

"You have _got _to be kidding me. Don't tell me you're still going to sit out here and let these freaks destroy Earth? _I'll _go out there by myself and show them they fucked with the wrong people!"

"Jim…"

"I'm serious! I took on the Romulans not that long ago, I've had more than enough of the Klingons, if these bastards think they'll destroy Earth while there's a Kirk around, forget it! We're going home, gentlemen, you're welcome to join us."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the Enterprise." Jim left the briefing room and tapped her combadge, "Enterprise-1 crew, we're going home. Meet me in Transporter Room 3." Her officers assembled as per her instructions.

"What's going on, Jim?" Bones wanted answers.

"I think I just made up Captain Picard's mind for him."

"By doing…what?"

"If we head for Sector 001, he'll follow us." She shrugged as they were beamed from the Enterprise-E to their ship, stepping off the platform on their end, "Which, of course, is against his orders to stay out in the Neutral Zone."

"What are we up against? Romulans? More Klingons? Or something new?"

"Something entirely new." Jim headed for the bridge, where she was informed that the Enterprise-E was hailing.

"Onscreen, Marissa." Jim faced the screen, wondering what on earth Picard wanted now. As soon as she could see the Enterprise-E's commanding officers, she fought off a smile, "Captain Picard."

"Captain Kirk, to quote my operations officer, to Hell with orders. We're going home." Well, that worked, too. Jim snickered.

"So we get to have a little fun, do we?"

"I wouldn't call it "fun", but I've been convinced that following orders in this instance would be a bad idea."

"You don't say? Shall I take the lead or would you like to?" It was a courtesy, and Picard took the lead. Jim was just itching to do something useful for once.

_**

* * *

Yes, Tasha Yar is in this story. She was such a cool character, it sucked that she died. I figured, why not? I've done everything else, haven't I? So, in my story, Tasha Yar lives. Until next time, kiddies!**_


	12. Chapter 11

Eleven

When they reached Earth, the Enterprises took control of the situation and rallied the troops to the defenses. The Borg were nothing like the Romulans or the Klingons, and some part of Jim Kirk was glad for that. She hated the Borg like she'd once hated Nero and his Romulans, and was looking forward to showing these freaks what happened when you fucked with James T. Kirk and her Enterprise. It was usually the last mistake you ended up making. A few Klingons and Romulans had learned that the hard way. They were among the smaller ships in the armada, but size didn't really matter to Jim. An enemy was threatening _her _home-world, and god damn it she wasn't going to play nice. Shields were holding up nicely, things looked good in Engineering, and Sickbay was on red-alert standby for the wounded. Suddenly, the background chatter from the other ships in the armada was lost in a crackle of static. Jim got up from her chair, eyeing the screen.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, Captain." Behind her, Spock was also on his feet.

"Did we just lose contact with the armada? Uhura, Hannity, bring them back on line _now_!" She snapped. Suddenly, there was another burst of static and a weird mechanical whine, then a voice rolled through the bridge.

"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile." Every hair on Jim's body was standing on end. That wasn't one voice, that was hundreds, thousands of voices, _speaking _as one.

"Oh my god. Enterprise-1 to Enterprise-E."

"Steady, Captain Kirk. Steady as she goes." For some reason, Captain Picard's voice was very soothing. Jim exhaled slowly, allowed herself to breathe, and reminded herself that they were here to kick ass, not get their asses _kicked_.

"Captain, the U.S.S. Mendelssohn is broadcasting a mayday hail." Uhura turned from her station.

"Let me hear it." Jim sat down again and kicked the chair back and forth.

"Mayday, mayday. This is Captain Carlisle of Mendelssohn." A woman's voice filled the bridge and Jim narrowed her eyes.

"Open a channel to the Mendelssohn, tell them we're coming and prepare to evacuate their crew."

"Aye, Captain." Uhura turned to her console, "Mendelssohn, this is Enterprise. What is your status?" Captain Carlisle informed them that all of her systems were down, life-support was failing, and if the Borg got in another hit like the last one, they'd all be toast.

"Get them out of there _now_! Engineering, Sickbay, what is your update?" Status reports came in that everything was under control. She smirked, "Good. Sulu, you've got the conn until I get back. Spock, you're with me, and let me know if anything else comes up."

"Yes, Captain." Spock fell into step with her. She visited Sickbay and found it packed with Mendelssohn survivors. Suddenly, something rocked the Enterprise hard enough to knock Jim off her feet. Spock picked her up and she slapped her combadge.

"Kirk to bridge. Sulu, what was that?"

"That was…the Mendelssohn, Captain. It's…gone."

"You've got to be kidding me." She raced for the transporters and skidded into the room just as the last wave of survivors was deposited. She caught the captain as the woman swooned, "Jesus, I thought the Romulans were bad! Are you alright, Captain?"

"W-what happened?"

"The Mendelssohn is gone. I'm so sorry." Jim frowned, "Transporters, report in."

"Transporter Room 4 has seven."

"Transporter Room 5 has twelve."

"Transporter Room 3 has nine." The others reported in with low numbers. Jim looked at Captain Carlisle, who sat on the receiving pad, head in both hands.

"Did you send out your shuttles, Captain?"

"Yes."

"Then we can only hope that your crew is safe. How many were left when they destroyed it?"

"A hundred or so." Carlisle was beside herself. Jim sat down with the woman, and dismissed the rest of them.

"Mendelssohns, report to Doctor McCoy in Sickbay. Commander, have the boys track for the Mendelssohn shuttles. And someone get Captain Picard."

"Yes, Captain." Spock saluted and took his leave. Jim spent ten minutes consoling Gloria Carlisle, who had just lost her ship and one hundred men. After a few minutes, Carlisle raised her head and looked at Jim.

"Was I imagining it, or is this _really _the Enterprise?"

"Nope, what you see is what you get. Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Captain Carlisle. She's a little beat up, but she's home enough for us."

"My god, you're all so _young_! Where did you come from?"

"An encounter in the Neutral Zone turned ugly. I don't know if I hate Klingons or loathe them."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yeah, actually. There _is_. You can make peace with someone or something you hate, but it's hard to reconcile with something that you _know _isn't worth the effort to try."

"Like?"

"Romulans come to mind. The Borg. Any number of nasties I've had to put up with since somebody decided to hand the keys to the Enterprise to a kid from Iowa." She knew Bones would kill her if she didn't bring Captain Carlisle for treatment and got up, "Come on, Captain, I've gotta get you into Sickbay before my surgeon comes looking for you himself."

"I heard you say McCoy."

"Yes, you did."

"And the gentleman, your commander, he was Vulcan."

"Yes indeed. That was Spock."

"And this…this is the Enterprise?"

"Not the first of her name, exactly, but she's mine." Jim smiled and knew things were starting to come together for Carlisle.

"Are you…forgive me, but you're not…Captain James T. Kirk, are you?"

"Would you be surprised if I said yes?"

"After this madness, not exactly." Carlisle chuckled, "Oh, God, what twisted universe gave birth to a Lady Kirk?"

"A _very _twisted universe. I have yet to meet my Primary counterpart, I can't imagine what that would _be _like." Jim looked around, "I've heard plenty of good things about Captain Kirk, though, I'd like to meet him and maybe thank him for giving me something to aspire towards."

"Like what?"

"Captaincy of the Enterprise, having a Vulcan as my best friend _and _my First Officer."

"By the looks of things, you've accomplished both." Carlisle smiled, "We hear about you all the time in the Academy, all the things you accomplished, but how many of us dream of _meeting _you?"

"I'll say quite a few of you." Jim smiled back. She liked Carlisle. When they got to Sickbay, Bones was up to his elbows in survivors and when he saw her, he gave her that look that said "What the _hell _have you gotten us into? Find a way to get us out of it, and do it without getting us all _killed _in the process!" Jim looked at Carlisle, "There he is. Doctor McCoy!"

"What?! I'm a little busy!"

"I can see that. Come here a minute, let Chapel do that. I want you to meet Grace Carlisle, she's the Captain of the Mendelssohn."

"Oh." That worked, Bones handed off to Christine Chapel and came over in something of a hurry, "Jesus, why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Because you were busy. I knew you'd kill me if I kept her out of Sickbay too long. Do you have a minute?"

"God yes! Come on, this way." Bones took Carlisle and Jim backed out.

"Bones, I leave Captain Carlisle in your ever capable hands. I have to make sure we get out of this version of Hell in one piece."

"Not a problem, sweetheart." Bones waved her out and she raced back to the bridge. It was still hot action and she just waited for the word.

* * *

Picard transmitted firing-coordinates that didn't go to any vital systems they could see.

"Captain, this isn't a vital system." Sulu looked at her, confused.

"Just do as he says, Sulu. I think he knows what he's doing." When the order came, the armada fired on the Borg cube and they watched as it went to pieces in a rather impressive explosion. But a single sphere-shaped vessel escaped and opened a temporal vortex.

"What are they doing?"

"That, if I'm not mistaken, is a temporal vortex. Spock, where is it going?"

"The Borg are going into the past, Captain, I believe they're trying to change history."

"Not on my watch."

"Keptin, zee Enterprise-E has entered zee wortex!" Chekov turned in a panic. Jim narrowed her eyes.

"Time travel. Sulu, lay in a pursuit course. We're going in after them."

"Captain, if we go back in time, we could very well alter the course of history."

"I'm aware of that, Mr. Spock. However, if we stay here, there's a damn good chance we won't _exist_. Excuse me if I'd rather not cease existing. My past has already been fucked up once, I'm not about to let these freaks fuck it up again by trying to stop us from happening at all! Sulu, _go_!"

"Aye, Captain." So, into the vortex they went. It was a fairly smooth ride, they caught the leading edge and rode the event-horizon until it started to collapse. They shot out of the vortex and Jim ordered them straight past Earth to Saturn. Hiding there had proven useful once before, it would have to serve again. They stayed put until sensor-sweeps told them the Borg vessel had been destroyed.

"Did they ever know we were here?"

"No, Captain."

"Good. I'm going to get Captain Carlisle, then I'm going home. Where were they firing, Spock?"

"Bozeman, Montana, Captain."

"What's the date?"

"Approximately two days after April 1st, 2063."

"April 3rd, 2063. First Contact?" Jim had read all about it in school, "They really _were _trying to stop us from happening. Boy, they picked a _bad day _to fuck with the Federation." They were one day ahead of the scheduled flight of the Phoenix, and the Borg had tried to stop that from happening.

"Spock, you and Captain Carlisle stay up here and keep the Enterprise out of sight. You can't come, we're dealing with pre-First Contact Humans."

"It would be illogical for me to join the Away Team, Captain, and dangerous." He did come to see them off, however. They beamed across to the Enterprise-E, where Picard got them civilian clothes so they wouldn't stand out as much. Jim and her team beamed down first, Picard's people would follow in an hour.

* * *

Bozeman was in shambles when they touched down, and Jim felt sick to her stomach.

"Jesus Christ, would you _look _at this place?" Bones was horrified, "I can't tell what's dead and what's alive!"

"Let's look for Cochrane. Where's the silo?" she looked around the ruined town, "Kirk to Enterprise. Where's the silo from our location?"

"Two kilometers northeast, Captain."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Be careful, Captain."

"We will be." She closed her communicator, "Let's split up. Sulu, Chekov, you two search the town. Bones, you're with me. Stay in contact and don't draw attention to yourselves. Don't ask any questions."

"Yes, Captain." So they split up and went to look for Cochrane. He wasn't in the silo, none of the bodies they found identified _as _Cochrane, so Jim sent Bones to keep Sulu and Chekov company and struck out on her own. Her wanderings led her towards the middle of town, where one of the few structures left standing was some kind of bar. Loud, obnoxious music poured from the door and the windows, and Jim smiled. This was more like it, if Cochrane was alive, he'd probably be in a dive like this. Jim stepped confidently through the door and looked around. Yeah. Having been to her share of dives and bars in her lifetime, Jim could handle this place. Nobody really bothered with her, that was fine. That meant she didn't stand out. Making sure her communicator and phaser were secure and out of sight, she found a seat at the bar. Perusing the excusable menu, she asked for a shot of Jose Cuervo Gold Classic. At least they stocked the good stuff.

"The lady's drink's on me tonight, Fly." A slurred voice belonged to the gentleman who deposited himself on the stool next to JIm's, "Make it two."

"Sure, Z." The bartender just fixed the orders. Jim quick-studied her neighbor, who was giving her a thorough once-over. He looked like he belonged at one of Frank's poker-games, but the vibes she got from him were different. He was a man drinking away pain. An older, more bitter Bones, maybe? Hmm. Just her area of expertise. She quietly twisted her wedding-band into view, made sure the engagement ring was visible, and took the shot-glass. The first shot went straight, and Jim had to shake it off. Her drinking partner chuckled. She distinctly heard him say "amateur". Amateur? Oh _please_! Jim looked at the bartender.

"Do you have salt and lime?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can I get some?" if she was going to do shots, she'd do 'em right.

"Sure." The bartender set down a dish of salt and a dish of lime-wedges. She smiled.

"And another round." She moved the dishes between herself and her partner, she was beginning to think it was Doctor Cochrane. The second round came, but she moved it out of reach, "No, you don't. If we're doing tequila shots, old man, we do them the _right _way."

"There's a right way?"

"You bet your ass there's a right way. And I ain't no amateur, thank you." She took one of the shots and set it before her, "To do this the right way, follow me. Lick your hand, like so, add salt. See?"  
"Yeah?"

"Do it." She watched him do it and nodded, "_Now_, take a lime-wedge, like this, lick the salt off, take your shot, and go for glory. Watch me." And Jim showed him how to do a tequila shot the right way. He tried to do it her way and ended up choking. She shook her head.

"No, no, you did it all _wrong_! Watch me and do it right next time." She gestured for another round and showed him, again, how to do a tequila shot the right way. It took two rounds for him to catch on, but he got it and was keeping up shot-for-shot with Jim, who had won her share of drinking contests back at the Academy. She kept meaning to rope Uhura into a drinking-contest and never got around to it. If she could get him drunk enough, he'd believe anything she told him, she _needed _to get Zefram Cochrane as drunk as she safely could, and soon.

* * *

**So there, Jim & Co. get to have fun with First Contact, which, btw, is one of my faves. What'd you think of the shot-contest? That just came to me when I was writing this, and it seemed like a pretty good idea. I mean, it's pretty obvious Cochrane was raging drunk by the time Riker and Deanna got to him, and I'm pretty sure he could have done it by himself, but I thought this would be fun.**


	13. Chapter 12

Twelve

Leonard McCoy was starting to worry about his wife, she'd been gone for an hour, and when Captain Picard's officers arrived, he grabbed Deanna Troi and William Riker and announced they were going to find Jim, and with any luck at all, Zefram Cochrane. Riker broke off to rendezvous with their landing party, but Leonard kept going.

"Where would she _go_?"

"If I know Jim, she headed straight for the nearest bar. They've gotta have one in a dump-town like this. Jesus, this place makes Riverside look like a real city." After a while, he heard music. They were getting close. Finding the bar, he knew he'd find Jim inside. Whether or not he found a _sober _Jim was something else entirely. Dragging her out of a bar after-hours dead drunk was nothing new, but he hadn't done it since she landed the command chair.

"Yeah, she's here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"This is the kind of place she _loves_. Jim Kirk can drink with the best of them and drink 'em under the table besides. If we find Jim, I bet we find Cochrane." Going inside, he followed the sound of his wife's laughter.

"Is that her?" Troi pointed to the bar, where he saw Jim sitting next to an older gentleman.

"Yeah, that's Jim." He sighed, "She's not drunk yet, believe it or not."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me, Counselor, I think I know what my own wife looks like when she's _drunk_." Leonard made his way across the cantina, stopped dead in his tracks halfway as Cochrane blasted some awful music from the old jukebox in the corner, and covered his ears. Worse, the man started dancing around. He settled in at the bar, eyeing his wife.

"Any luck, sweetheart?"

"You just walked past our man." She nursed a gin and tonic, her favorite hangover buster, "He's…odd."

"Odd? He's drunk! Did you get him to talk?"

"He doesn't believe me, of course."

"Didn't expect him to. I guess he didn't take the cover?"

"Nope." Jim's eye-roll said it all. The bartender asked if he wanted anything. Leonard ordered a Jack, straight up. No ice. After a while, Cochrane swaggered over, gave Leonard a long, hard look, and his eyes, beady with too much to drink, narrowed.

"Who the hell are _you_, sir?" he slurred.

"Doctor Cochrane, this is my husband, Doctor McCoy. I told you about him." Jim spoke firmly but pleasantly, "Now sit down before you fall over."

"You're _married_?"

"Yes, I told you that. Three times. Sit. _Down_." She reached over, grabbed Cochrane by the arm, and pulled. He fell onto his stool, Jim patiently pushed him upright, "I told you all about Leonard, you don't get all cranky." Never let it be said Jim Kirk couldn't work a crowd. Leonard shook hands with Cochrane, who obviously didn't trust him, and looked for Troi. She was watching them, so he waved her over to join them. He had to get Cochrane off of Jim before he hurt somebody, namely Cochrane.

"Doctor Cochrane, this is Deanna Troi. She's an associate of ours."

"Are you one of the space-people, too?" Cochrane smiled drunkenly at Troi, who shot Jim a nasty look.

"Don't worry, he doesn't believe half of what you tell him, and he'll forget the other half by morning." Jim finished her drink and got up, "Good luck, Deanna!"

"Where are we going?"

"I've gotta get _out _of here, my head is killing me."

"Would that have anything to do with the twenty shots of tequila you drank?" he caught her around the waist as they staggered out of the bar.

"Shut up, Bones." she growled, "Ugh." Letting her go after leaning her against the wall, he dug into his pack for a hypo and what Jim called The Cure. Snapping the whole thing together, he grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Hold still."

"Ow! Dammit, Bones!" Jim jumped, she always did, rubbing the sore spot on her neck.

"Hands on your knees, head down, sweetheart. You know the drill." He pressed one hand between her shoulder-blades. The drug took effect with expected wrath and Jim doubled over.

"I _hate _you." She gasped between bouts of heaving. Leonard just rubbed her shoulders, waiting for the fit to pass. Finally, no more would come. As Jim clutched at her chest, trying to catch her breath, he ran a quick scan. She was recovering nicely. Deciding they'd done enough damage for one night, he beamed them back to the Enterprise and took Jim to her quarters. She went into the bathroom, tossed out her civies, and emerged fifteen minutes later in shorts and a tanktop, her face pale, her eyes dim. She'd had another bout, not that he was surprised. Giving her a sleep-aid, Leonard stayed with his wife that night.

A few misunderstandings aside, convincing Zefram Cochrane to launch the Phoenix as planned really wasn't that hard. He wanted Jim on his flight-crew, so she got to be part of the very first Human warp-flight. Cochrane's warp-engines weren't nearly as advanced as theirs, but it was still fun to see where it had all started. And as much as she loved music, she could have done without Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" blaring from the audio-system. Though, she had to admit it _was _a nice touch. They crossed paths with the Enterprise-E, which looked a _hell _of a lot bigger from the Phoenix. When Cochrane saw her, his jaw dropped open.

"_Whoa_! Is _that_ the…?"

"That is the Enterprise-E. My ship's hiding near Saturn." Jim smiled, "She's beautiful, ain't she?"

"Yeah." Cochrane just nodded. Jim looked over at Will Riker, who rolled his eyes. The warp-flight itself was short, but it got the job done. On their return flight, the Enterprise came out of hiding, so Cochrane got to see both of them at the same time.

"Oh, _wow_! Look at that, look at that!" He was like a little kid, "They look so _different_!"

"That's because the one on the left is older."

"So…you're both time-travelers?"

"This is my second trip through time." Jim made a face, "It's not something I would suggest doing for fun." Riker chuckled. When they got back to Earth, it was only a wait of a few hours for the aliens to arrive.

"Vulcans."

"Go figure. One of the most advanced races of the time, and they paid a visit to the lowly Humans because they thought we were worth a shot." Jim smiled, "They've come a long way since then." As she watched the Vulcan emissaries, she recognized one of them.

"Jim?" Bones had noticed her lapse of concentration.

"No way."

"What?"

"I _know _him! Bones, the Vulcan behind the captain, the one in the green robe. Do you see him?"

"Yeah."

"I know who that is! I didn't know he was involved with First Contact!" Jim felt a weird little thrill in her gut, "That's Soval!"

"Soval?"

"I met him while we were working on the Resettlement. He knew Admiral Archer when _he _was Captain of the NX-01."

"Now that _is _weird." Bones shook his head, "You can't stand still."

"But I can't say _anything _or do anything! Do you have any idea how _frustrating _that is?"

"I can guess." Bones rolled his eyes. Jim slipped away and stood a little closer to Cochrane, who was trying to make the Vulcans understand that shaking hands was okay. Soval turned from observing and stared right at her. She went very still and waited. What would he _do_? Was he curious enough to approach the strange Humans? Apparently, he _was_. Soval stepped away from his captain, and stopped a foot from Jim. He offered the traditional salute, Jim returned it. She hadn't perfected it yet, but she was working on it and managed it better than Cochrane.

"You…are not like these people." He said finally.

"No."

"I am Soval. Who are you?"

"My name is James T. Kirk. My friends call me Jim, some of them call me Jamie." This entire conversation, this experience, was so surreal.

"An odd name for a woman."

"I was supposed to be a boy, my parents didn't bother changing my name." She didn't shrug, and managed to keep a straight face. Soval's eyes narrowed.

'Yana ra Yakana ro futisha ta?' It was a very precise question. Jim couldn't lie to him. She swallowed hard, felt the eyes of her officers and those of the Enterprise-E on her, and ignored them. This was _her _First Contact, not theirs.

'Ha, wani ra Yakana ro futisha.'

"You speak it well."

"I have a friend who's Vulcan. He's one of my officers."

"You are fortunate. Is this friend…is he here?"

"Yes." Jim turned and saw Spock and Bones standing next to each other, "Would you like to meet him?"

"I am curious." Soval settled and she waved her officers over. They came, hesitant and she knew what they were thinking.

_Jim, this is a _really _bad idea! We shouldn't do this!_

_He asked. When's the last time you said no to Soval?_

_I still think it's a really bad idea. _Bones grumped. They arrived and Jim looked at Soval.

"Soval, these are my officers, my friends. Spock, and Doctor Leonard McCoy."

"They are family." It wasn't a question. Jim nodded.

"Yes."

"Fascinating." Soval looked at the three of them, and nodded. They chatted for a while with him before returning to the Enterprise to go back to the twenty-fourth century. Before they left, Soval had something he wanted to give them. Jim and Bones each received a Vulcan Kol-ut-Shan medallion fashioned as a pin to be worn on clothing.

"Live long and prosper, young Starfleet."

"Peace and long life, Soval. See you in the future." Jim smiled and raised her hand in the Vulcan salute. They all three did.

"Captain."

"Yes?"

"Remember, no matter where you are, or where you go. Remember this: I'wak mesukh-yut t'on." Then they were gone. Jim felt a little sad when they left Earth behind, but she was looking forward to seeing Soval again sooner rather than later.

* * *

After returning to the twenty-fourth century, they dropped off the Mendelssohn's crew to be reassigned, and got ready to go home. Captain Picard convinced them to make full repairs to the Enterprise, which would take roughly two weeks if Scotty would let the repair crews near the ship herself. Jim finally talked him into letting the crews get their work done, ordering her officers on shore-leave until further notice. She spent much of her time with Spock and Bones, successfully evading the media hoardes in Starfleet Command's gardens. Following the attack on Earth, security in the area was pretty tight, so they were safe there.


	14. Chapter 13

13

One afternoon, a particularly _nice_ day in regards to weather, Jean-Luc strolled the gardens of Starfleet Command with an old friend of his. They were discussing the tactics of the Battle of Sector 001, and the other man was bemoaning how he'd been stuck down here while the rest of them had all the fun.

"I'd have killed for a chance to be up there with you, Jean-Luc, showing those bastards they picked a fight with the wrong people. Oh, I _envy _you!" It wasn't often anymore James T. Kirk got that wistful gleam in his eye, he was content to teach at the Academy and do some stargazing when the fancy struck him. He _was_ notorious for jetting off to Vulcan for a few days or weeks, usually spending that time with Ambassador Spock, and then resurfacing again when he'd had his fun away from home. Jean-Luc shook his head with a chuckle.

"It was your kind of fight for sure, James. But, uh, you _were _there, believe it or not." He had caught sight of a certain few officers just up ahead, two of them at least. Catching them in moments of complete repose like this was hard to do, the kids didn't sit _still _long enough to gather dust let alone relax. But, from the looks of things, that was just precisely what they were doing. The much younger James T. Kirk was lounging on the grass, her head pillowed on her First Officer's lap while he read a book, and watching over them was a massive, broad-chested Great Dane.

"Oh?"

"I don't suppose you believe in parallel universes, alternate universes, do you?"

"You better believe I do. Why?"

"I want you to meet someone. Without her, history would have been altered forever and we would never have happened." Jean-Luc just smiled, "And don't mind the dog, he's perfectly harmless."

"Is that a Great Dane?" Kirk had sighted the odd trio. Jean-Luc chuckled.

"Yes. I believe his name is Leonard."

"He's _huge_!"

"He's unfailingly loyal to his captain, I hear." Jean-Luc just smiled. The dog raised his head and looked at them, barked once to alert his Human companions to their company, and got up, making his way over to Jean-Luc.

"Jean-Luc…is that…"

"You're not imagining things, James. That's _your _former First Officer's younger counterpart." Jean-Luc rubbed the crest of the Great Dane's head, "All well, Leonard?" The dog barked an affirmative.

"Good morning, Jean-Luc!" Jim called cheerfully.

"Good morning, Jamie." He smiled, "I apologize for interrupting your peace."

"You're not the press, so you're an interruption I welcome. Good morning, Captain." Jim nodded to her unsuspected elder counterpart, who could only stare in utter shock.

"Forgive me, Captain, but…I don't believe we've met before." James broke the ice first, a risky gamble, "I thought I knew most of Jean-Luc's acquaintances."

"Guess not." She gave him a once-over and her eyes widened, "Oh…are you…Captain James T. Kirk?"

"Yes, I am." Jean-Luc watched the exchange and wondered how this would end up.

"Oooh."

"Who _are_ you?"

"I'm…an alternate version _of _you, believe it or not."

"You're _me_?"

"Yeah."

"How did _that _happen?" James folded his arms in a gesture Jean-Luc was familiar with. He stepped in, getting between James and the Enterprise officers.

"James, go easy on them. They've been through more than any of us, more than _you_."

"Oh really?"

"Try _five _Klingon warbirds who want _you _dead and your ship in pieces! Try scouting missions to the Neutral Zone that _always _turn into fire-fights and trying to survive long enough to get home!" Jim, predictably, snapped, "I have hand-written more letters notifying a family that their loved one _died _in service to the Enterprise because the Klingons won't give it up! Don't talk down to me, Captain, I know what Hell looks like, I _don't_ think you do."

"You're…what, twenty-seven years old? A little young for the command chair, aren't you?"

"Try saving the world sometime, Captain."

"Saving the world?"

"Yes! I saved Earth _and _the Federation, and not just from your Borg buddies. No, no, I saved everyone's ungrateful asses from _Romulans_. And what thanks did I get for _that_? Two months' probation! And then someone tried to _kill _me."

"James, that's enough. Jim has more than earned her place in that chair, young as she is and as _head_strong as she is. We were all like that once, some of us apparently still are."

"If it should be anyone's business, I have long since made peace with my Primary counterpart." Spock broke in, looking from one Kirk to the other, "It would sit ill with me if Jim could not reach the same understanding with you that I have reached with Selvar."

"Selvar?"

"That is what my counterpart has decided to call himself for my sake and his own. I do not know what spurs your anger with Jim, but it is horribly misplaced." Count on Spock to stand up for his Captain. Doctor McCoy, god bless the man's resilience, did something quite alarming. Jean-Luc had seen it before and didn't react quite as violently as James did when McCoy went straight from dog-form to human form in the time it took someone to blink.

"Whoa! What did you just do?"

"We're not fully Human, Captain Kirk. We are Cakoya, Fair Folk, the last of the Purebloods. We can change shape at will, or under spell-cast." Jim folded her arms, eyes flashing. Jean-Luc resisted the urge to take a step backwards. He'd heard of the Cakoya, and knew enough about them to know provoking them was a bad idea.

"I've been turned into a dog at least twice in my lifetime by other people, and I've turned myself into a dog twice for reasons of self-preservation."

"The time someone tried to kill you?"

"This agents raided my father's house in Riverside at the same time someone _else _bombed Central Hospital here in San Francisco. I didn't know if my husband was alive or not, do you have _any _idea what kind of agony that caused me until I _found _him and pulled him to safety?"

"Husband? You're _married_?"

"By order of the Grand Marshalls, if that's any business of yours. I was ordered, by the end of my twenty-fifth year, to marry another Cakuya, preferably another Heir. I had two choices, and after the bombing of Central Hospital, I knew which one I'd pick."

"I didn't know that was allowed."

"Bullshit, didn't _you _marry a fellow officer at one time in your life?"

"Did I?"

"I have memorial proof that you did. I don't know _why _he remembers you so fondly, there isn't a single thing _about _you I find at all agreeable or likeable. Considering we're the same person, I find it odd that I would hate myself." Jim narrowed her eyes and looked up at the sky for a minute, "Repairs to the Enterprise have been completed, I think it's time my crew and I went home. For your sakes, it would be best if you had no memory of us."

"You can't expect me to forget someone who helped me fight off the Borg and keep First Contact on track, Jim. Don't ask me to do that."

"I won't." Jim looked at him and smiled, "Captain Picard, _vashkuya_. Captain Kirk, _nasha kudan_." She did something then, and he saw Kirk's eyes glaze over. It didn't lift until they were gone. Jean-Luc felt a stab of sadness and snapped his fingers in front of James's face, bringing him out of the daze.

"W-what just happened?"

"Nothing. You lost your train of thought. I believe we were discussing your regret that you couldn't join us."

"I _am _sorry I couldn't join you, that was one hell of a fight." James smiled, happily ignorant. Jean-Luc felt only regret. James saw this, "You look sad."

"Oh, no, it's nothing. Would you excuse me, James? There's someone I would like to speak to."

"Would you like some company?"

"No, not for this visit. This is something I must do alone." He left James, promising to return as soon as maybe, and beamed from a secure location straight to the Enterprise. Scotty greeted him coming off the receiving pad.

"Welcome back, Captain!"

"Thank you, Scotty. Where's Jim?"

"She's on the bridge, sir. What happened down there?"

"A rather unfortunate misunderstanding that has been taken care of. I hope. Thank you, Scotty."

"Just glad to be of service, Captain." Scotty saluted and Jean-Luc headed straight for the bridge. The Enterprise was a ship preparing for her final journey home, which included a visit to the Neutral Zone. He arrived on the bridge to find Jim, Spock, and McCoy chatting in low tones. The tension was hair-raising. He had to apologize for the misunderstanding, for putting her in a hard place like that. It was mostly his fault.

"Ah, Captain Picard."

"I came to say goodbye, and to apologize. I've known Captain Kirk long enough I can safely say he is not usually so…harsh."

"He didn't believe us, which was his choice. You believed us, you believed _in _us, and that's why I didn't wipe your memory. Remember us, Jean-Luc, honor what you remember, and don't feel guilty. I was bound to encounter my Primary counterpart eventually, and I didn't expect it would be a happy reunion. I'm a stubborn Human being, ask my officers. If anything, _I _should apologize to him."

"No, Jim, he needed to hear those things. You _have _earned this ship, and it's command chair, more times over than any captain I've known before you. You _are _young, but that's what makes you such a great leader." He put both hands on the girl's shoulders, "There are multiple James T. Kirks, and all of them are different, but you are one of a kind, there is _only _one of you. Never aspire to be someone you're not, Jim. You did great things in 2063, even if history never remembers them. Go home, I'm fairly certain your past is still waiting for you, and please try to stay out of trouble. I can't always be saving you from the Klingons."

"I'll try. It all depends on if Starfleet Command sends us to the Neutral Zone." Jim smiled, but it wasn't a true smile. Jean-Luc hugged her, knowing he would miss her very much, and wondered how on earth he would ever handle James now that he knew how different they were as individuals. For his own sake, Jean-Luc had been busy taking pictures of the threesome during their shore-leave, and planned on putting them into an album as soon as he could. Leaving the Enterprise, he went home and started putting that album together.

* * *

As the Enterprise motored for the Neutral Zone, things took on a routine. With repairs made, all _they _had to do was find a way to get where they needed to be. There were a few things that were different. For one thing, someone had gotten creative and the division badges worn by the Senior Officers doubled as combadges. That made it easy for inter-ship communications without using the shipboard communicators. The computer had also been programmed to take the voice-commands for civilian clothing should that be necessary on a mission. Jim and her officers kept their uniforms from 2373, and the civilian clothes they'd worn in 2063, as reminders of where they'd been and what they'd done.


End file.
